White mussel

Providing you have a permit you can dig up White Mussel on many beaches in South Africa. They normally lie on the low tide mark about an elbow depth down. You may not use anything other than your hands to pull out the mussel.

Clean the mussel by forcing open the shells and removing the flesh. Rinse under a tap until clean. Dip into a mixture of flour and salt and medium fry in sunflower oil until crisp. Drain and serve with lemon wedges. CAUTION White Mussel splashes and “spits” so make sure you keep little ones well away and keep a burnshield close by.

Traditionally White Mussel was also made into a rich creamy soup.

Snoek on the braai

This is the ultimate traditioanal seafood recipe! All South African’s need to make sure that they have had a snoek braai sometime in their lives. It is one of those traditions that go down in your children’s memories as unforgettable.

In the Cape one can purchase a whole snoek on the side of the road just after the fishing boats have returned from sea. Make sure you choose one with firm flesh. Make sure your fish is gutted unless you know how to do it yourself.

Ingredients:

Melt ½ a block of butter
Add a small can of apricot jam
2 teaspoons of crushed garlic

Method:

Open your fish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lavish the butter mixture on the flesh.
Cover your braai grid with heavy duty tin foil and turn the corners up to make a ridge around the outside.
Place your whole fish on the braai grid. Baste continually until the fish is cooked. There is no need to turn it. Serve with salads and bread. CAUTION Snoek is a bony fish…let children eat it carefully. Keep bread on hand in case a fish bone does get stuck in a throat. A bread ball will normally push it down.

Pickled fish

3 kg’s firm fleshed fish (Kingklip, Geelbeck, Red Roman)

Cut fish into manageable portions. Dip into a flour and salt mixture, fry until cooked.

The Pickle:

Ingredients:

6 large onions, sliced
30ml curry powder
5 ml turmeric
1 ml cloves
1 ml nutmeg
5 ml sugar
10 ml cornflour
6 bay leaves
6 black peppercorns
1 small piece of lemon rind
500 ml wine vinegar

Method:

Heat oil, sauté onions. Add curry powder and other spices. Fry for a few minutes. Stir in all other ingredients except vinegar. Fry. Then add Vinegar. Simmer for 20 minutes. Pack the fried cooled fish into sterilized wide glass bottles. Pour the hot pickle sauce over. Leave to cool. Seal with lids and store in a cool place for at least 2 days before eating.