Hmm, the smell of smoked or braaid Snoek is undeniably drool-worthy! One of the best things about visiting the Western Cape is the many corner shops selling smoked Snoek and melt-in-your-mouth fresh bread to enjoy. Most people don’t make it home with their takeaway Snoek…it’s simply devoured in the car! And locals who have a good Snoek recipe know how to make it so well that you’ll wonder if you have ever tasted anything as good!
As a South African expat, you already know just how important Snoek is to the local Cape community as it generates such an enormous part of the local fisherman’s income. While it’s an income generator, there’s enough to go around and as most South African’s already know; Snoek is great on the braai. And what about the left overs, you ask? Well, they make for a great Snoek pâté, don’t they?
Okay, enough teasing you…today we’re going to teach you how to make a delicious Snoek braai and what to do with the left overs, so that you can have a few days’ worth of fine-dining-style pâté.
Sticky Apricot Glazed Snoek Braai Recipe | How to Make the Perfect Snoek Braai
First, let’s gather a few of the goodies needed to prepare the Snoek. Here’s what you will need:
- 1, 2 kg of cleaned Snoek
- Red onion (thinly sliced)
- Celery (sliced)
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the glaze:
- 80g of butter
- 3 cloves of garlic (grated)
- 1 red chilli (sliced)
- 2 tablespoons of chutney
- 4 tablespoons of stock (chicken or fish)
- ½ cup of apricot jam
- 10 grams of coriander (fresh)
- Lemon juice (squeezed from 1 lemon)
What to do:
Now it’s time to put it all together and pop it on the braai. Here’s what you will have to do:
First, make the glaze:
- Melt the butter in a pot/pan and sauté the garlic in it for 1 minute, making sure it doesn’t burn.
- Add the chilli and stir it in.
- Add the jam, chutney and stock – stir it in gently and then reduce the heat.
- Let the mixture simmer on low for about 5 minutes.
- Add the coriander to the mix and gently stir.
- Remove from the heat and pour into a jug or bowl.
Now it’s time to get the Snoek onto the braai. Prepare the braai as you normally would, but wait until the coals are producing low heat before putting the Snoek on. Here’s what you need to do:
- Dry the Snoek by patting it with kitchen paper towels.
- On a piece of foil, place the Snoek skin-side down.
- Season the fish generously with both salt and pepper.
- Still in the foil, place the Snoek onto the braai and baste it with the glaze.
- Leave the Snoek on the braai for around 10 minutes.
- Turn and baste the fish again when the flesh turns white in colour.
- Once turned over, allow the Snoek to cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Serve with celery and red onion. You can also drizzle with the lemon juice and a bit of olive oil.
Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? Well, the truth is; it is! The biggest part of the process is simply watching the fish to ensure that it doesn’t burn or overcook. Now, what about the leftovers? How do you make the pâté? Let’s check that out next…
Snoek Pâté Recipe | What To Do with Your Snoek Braai Left Overs
You have eaten your fill and there’s still a load of Snoek left. What to do, what to do? Well, making a home-made Snoek pâté is the obvious choice. Here’s a great Snoek pâté recipe to try.
What you need:
- 200 – 250g of Snoek (cooked on the braai)
- ½ a cup of sour cream
- Hand full of chopped chives
- Lemon juice (half a lemon squeezed)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Time to put it all together! The Snoek pâté recipe is just as easy as the Snoek braai recipe! Here’s what you need to do:
- Take all of the bones out of the Snoek.
- Flake the fish as much as you can – take your time with this.
- Add the flaked Snoek, sour cream, chives, lemon juice, salt and pepper to your blender or food processor and blend it until it is almost smooth. Don’t over blend as you want to have a few thicker flakes of fish still to enjoy.
- Taste the pâté to see if it is seasoned correctly. Add more seasoning if required.
And voila! You have a tasty Snoek pâté to enjoy. The good news is that you can store this pâté in the fridge for up to 3 days, as long as it is inside an airtight container.
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At FinGlobal, we’re a team that knows how to piece together a great recipe, and we aren’t just talking about a Snoek braai recipe. We also have a few recipes for seamless financial and tax emigration up our sleeve. If you have emigrated or are thinking about leaving the country, make sure that your tax emigration and financial emigration is professionally and meticulously handled. The FinGlobal team has a decade of experience to draw from and our track record is representative of the thousands of happy South African expats we have helped all over the world. If you would like further assistance, simply contact us.