Corey and I are in Cape Town at the moment spending time with my family. It has been a year and a half since I have been back (where did that time go?) We have been hitting the Cape Town foodie scene hard with markets, incredible restaurants and trips to the winelands. I’m feeling pretty darn spoilt right now.
Yesterday was Heritage Day aka National Braai Day ( South African call a BBQ a braai) yip we dedicate a whole day to celebrating our heritage and the no.1 favorite pass time – Braai-ing.
For me, there is nothing better than whole fish cooked over hot coals, however you can for-go the fire and cook fish just as well in the oven.
A good fishmonger will prepare your fish you. When I was working as a chef on yachts in the Mediterranean I used to try and explain in my broken French and Italian how I wanted my fish prepared, but inevitably I would get back to the boat and find that my fish still had all it’s scales, gills and guts. Trying to scale a fish in a tiny galley under time pressure is not fun, those suckers go EVERYWHERE!!
So ask your fishmonger to gut, scale and de-gill your fish. When I am ready to work with the fish I always rinse it under cold water and pat it dry using a clean tea towel. By stuffing the belly of the fish with herbs and lemon you not only infuse it with delicious flavor, but it also helps to keep the fish nice and moist in the oven.
Some fresh salads go perfectly with whole baked fish and I have included the recipe for lemon, thyme and basil vodka mojitos which I learnt from a Hungarian steward that I work with on one of the yachts. He came third in the world barman championships with this recipe! On a hot summers’ day there is nothing quite like it.
- 4 small bream ( gutted and scaled)
- 1 lemon sliced
- 1 lemon juiced
- 2 cloves garlic
- olive oil
- 1 bunch flat leaf parsley
- 1 small bunch thyme
- salt and pepper to season
- Preheat the oven to 220C and line a baking sheet with wax proof paper.
- Rinse the fish under cold water and pat dry with a clean tea towel.
- Combine the lemon juice with 2 Tbls olive oil and half the thyme. Mince the garlic cloves and mix in with the lemon juice and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to season then set the marinade aside.
- Make 3 inscisions on each side the fish and massage in the marinade.
- Fill the belly of each fish with slices of lemon, flat leaf parsley and thyme.
- Season the fish with little more salt and pepper then place a slice of lemon on top of each one and bake on a lined baking sheet for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and serve.
- 3 carrots, peeled and grated
- 2 Tbls olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 Tbls chopped parsley
- 1 Tbls chopped corriander
- 2 Tbls pisachios, roughtly chopped
- 2 T currants
- 2 drops rose water
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix thouroughly before serving.
- 1 cucumber
- 3 radishes
- 2 spring onions
- 2 big handfuls mixed letuce leaves
- VINEGARETTE:
- 3 Tbls olive oil
- 1 Tbls red wine vinegar
- ½ clove garlic, minced
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- ½ Tbls chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to season
- Cut the cucumber in half and deseed it, then chop it into 1cm chunks
- Slice the spring onions and radishes, then combine all the salad ingredients in a bowl.
- To make the vinegarette, combine all the ingredients in a jar. Seal the jar with a lid, then shake until the ingredients are well mixed and pour over the salad.
- Toss before serving.
- 8 small-medium potaotes
- olive oil
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tsp whole grain mustard
- 1 handful rocket leaves
- 8 small sprigs of thyme
- sea salt and pepper to season
- Preheat the oven to 200C
- Line a baking tray with foil and place the potatoes on it. Drizzle them with olive oil and season with salt.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until soft and starting t brown
- Remove from the oven and using a folk, press down firmly on the top of each potato so you smash it slightly, but not completely. ( you still want them to hold their form)
- Drizzle with a little olive oil then add a small dollop of mustard on top of each one, then layer some rocket and sour cream and finish with a sprig of thyme, salt and pepper.
- 1 shot vodka
- ½ shot glucose syrup ( add a little extra if you like it sweeter)
- 2-3 basil leaves
- sprig of thyme
- ¼ lemon squeezed
- ice
- soda water to top
- Combine the vodka, glucose syrup and lemon juice in a glass and stir until the glucose syrup has dissolved.
- Add the thyme and basil then fill the glass with ice and top with soda water.
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