It is a long time since I posted anything here.
It is now mid winter in cape Town (O.K. next week is the start of spring BUT the weather is very cold and wet) and the catches of Snoek in the past few weeks have been excellent.
Snoek is the main winter commercial catch in the waters here, often in huge numbers. The snoek is from the Barracuda family and is a voracious feeder. The fish is very oily and high in Omega 3. It is also excellent to braai. It is also one of the most contraversial.
I used to work with a guy who once invited me around for a snoek braai and to quote him, he added "I really know how to braai a snoek!" I arrived at his place with great anticipation and left afterwards bitterly dissapointed. It was the usual gooi the food on the braai story. Consume 5 Brandy and Cokes. Turn the food over and down another 5 Brandy and Cokes (Poliesie Koffie as opposed to Irish Coffee). Baste the overcooked and dried out fish with a mixture of butter, garlic and apricot jam to try and make it edible and serve.
Now, for a change, I will agree that there is nothing wrong with the basting sauce. It is perfect for a snoek braai. The fish was just plain overcooked.
One of the debates is whether to use tin foil in the braai grid. I do prefer to use this on one side under the skin of the butterflied snoek ("Flecked" is what we call it) to stop it sticking to the grid. Place the skin side down on moderately hot coals and braai for no longer than 12 minutes if you are using foil. 8 to 10 minutes if you are not. Baste the open flesh side with the aforementioned basting sauce and turn, leaving it no longer than 3 minutes to brown and the fish is ready.
