Cooksister | Food, Travel, Photography

Food, photos & faraway places

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About me
    • Contact me
    • Work with me
    • Legal
      • Copyright notice & Disclaimer
      • Disclosure
      • Cookies and Privacy Policy
    • Press and media
    • Cooksister FAQs
  • RECIPES
    • Recipe Index – by course
    • Baking (savoury)
    • Braai/Barbecue
    • Breakfast & brunch
    • Christmas
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Eggs
    • Fish
    • Gluten-free
    • Leftovers
    • Pasta & rice
    • Poultry
    • Pulses
    • Salads
    • Soup
    • South African
    • Starters & light meals
    • Vegan
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
  • RESTAURANTS
    • British Isles restaurants
    • Dubai restaurants
    • France restaurants
    • London restaurants
    • Montenegro restaurants
    • New York restaurants
    • Pop-ups and supperclubs
    • Serbia restaurants
    • Singapore restaurants
    • South Africa restaurants
    • Sweden restaurants
    • Switzerland restaurants
    • USA restaurants
  • TRAVEL
    • All my travel posts
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Canada
      • Dubai
      • Cruise ships
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Grenada
      • Hong Kong
      • Hotel reviews
      • Italy
      • Israel
      • Jersey
      • Mexico
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Singapore
      • Ski & snow
      • South Africa
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • UK
      • USA
      • Wales
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Freelance writing portfolio
    • Speaking and teaching
    • Photography portfolio
    • Buy my photos
You are here: Home / Recipes / Braai/Barbecue / Snoek: scrumptious, sustainable – and sold in the UK

Snoek: scrumptious, sustainable – and sold in the UK

by Jeanne Horak on December 1, 2006 41 Comments in Braai/Barbecue, Fish, Gluten-free, Recipes, South African, South African products

Snoek © J Horak-Druiff 2006

Isn’t it funny what you miss from home?  When the first wave of South Africans came over to London after we were welcomed back into the Commonwealth, suitcases were stuffed full of Mrs Ball’s chutney, rooibos tea and illicit biltong.  Now all of these things are available at many mainstream supermarkets (which is either a sign of just how popular our cuisine is – or a sign of just how many of us there are over here!!).  So then I started carrying over Ina Paarman’s seasonings and Nando’s pepper sauce – which are now both available (albeit the former only in South African shops).  These days, I carry a somewhat more eclectic mix back with me – Nice ‘n Spicy spice packs, Peck’s Anchovette and Melrose biltong cheese spread – but the fact is that increasingly, I can get the foods I miss over here.

However, there have always been some things that are harder to find than others.  Boerewors was a problem until I discovered the outstanding example made by Web Butchers in Southfields.  Ostrich was a distant memory until I found the Gamston Wood ostrich stand at Borough Market.  Fresh game (kudu, springbok etc) is still something I haven’t seen.  And I do miss my snoek (rhymes with book, not fluke).  Snoek (or, more correctly, Thyrsites atun) is a big scary game fish in the perch family which frequents the temperate waters around South Africa.  It is also found in Australia and New Zealand where it is known as barracouta (no relation to barracuda).  It can grow up to 2m in length and weigh 6kg – which is rather a lot for a fish, as far as I’m concerned! I have seen them in the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town and believe me, I’m not doing synchronised swimming with a school of these babies.  But I’d be more than happy to arrange a meeting once they’ve been scaled, gutted and cleaned 😉

One of the reasons why you never see fresh snoek in England probably has to do with its little PR problem amongst the British public.  Allow me to elaborate.  During World War II when everything was scarce, food rationing was rife and cheap sources of protein were few and far between, somebody had the bright idea to catch cheap fish in South Africa, can it and ship it to England.  Suffice to say it did not go down too well over here.  The Web is full of war years recollections penned by people who remember this weird fish with the hugely amusing name arriving and being inedibly bad.  A large proportion of the tins that were imported remained firmly on shop shelves (despite optimistic suggestions from the Ministry of Defence – like Snoek Piquante which seems to have become a kind of shorthand for everything unpalatable about food rationing!).  I must say, I’m pretty sure nobody I know in South Africa eats the stuff tinned (shudder) and general consensus is now that bad canning methods was to blame for much of the snoek’s unintended piquancy…

 

Snoek bones

 

But for those of us who grew up in South Africa, it’s a very different story.  Snoek is one of the great culinary pleasures of the Western Cape (the province surrounding Cape Town).  The flesh is oily and presumably packed with all the health benefits that oily fish brings; the meat is firm and strongly flavoured, rather like mackerel on steroids.  And although there are lots of bones, they are truly gargatuan (2 inches long!) and can easily be seen and picked out. It can be sold fresh, smoked or salted; the fresh version is grilled, baked, fried, stewed or (my favourite) done on the braai; and the ready-to-eat smoked version can be served cold with a sweet relish, mashed into a pate, or flaked and heated up with tomatoes, onions and peppers in smoorsnoek, or (literally “smothered snoek” – Nick’s favourite).  A favourite gift to bring back form Cape Town is a side of smoked snoek, and you can even buy them packaged in nice sturdy cardboard boxes at Cape Town airport.

So how did snoek come to grace the table at our annual Big South African Braai in the dying days of summer this year?  Well, on a visit to friends in Milton Keynes, we dropped by the headquarters of Cruga.  The shop is unprepossessing, occupying a unit on an industrial estate, but once inside it’s like coming home.  Not only can you buy a full range of Cruga biltong there (both sliced and packaged or, as Nick prefers it, in whole slabs, to be sliced at home), but you can also stock up on all manner of South African goodies like ProNutro, peppermint crisps, NikNaks (no, the ones sold over here are NOT the same), Savannah cider and Choc-Kits.  And in a freezer we also spotted… frozen snoek!!  I could not believe my eyes.  And obviously there was no way I was not buying it!  We didn’t have a cooler box, but it was frozen solid and we wrapped it in copious amounts of damp newspaper, then even more dry newspaper and it got back to London as solid as a rock.  As you see from the first picture, it filled the entire Weber – it was at least 40cm long, and that was without head or tail!  Nick made his super secret apricot jam basting sauce (just kidding – recipes to follow below) and cooked the fish in a closed Weber.  As it turns out, our snoek was smoked but undyed, which you really could not tell until you tasted it.  But this is a good thing as the saltiness works beautifully with the apricot jam and I suspect we inducted at least one Aussie and one German into the Cult of Snoekology that day.  I’m not brave enough to try and convert a Brit yet!

 

Snoek price in GBP

 

What made me think of this snoek braai was a post that appeared on Beyond the Pass last week talking about a Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) study of the levels of fish stocks around the South African coast.  It makes for sobering reading.  The mainstays of most South African fish menus (kingklip, Cape sole, kabeljou, Cape salmon) are all overfished and declining – which should give everyone pause for thought in the same way as recent revelations in the UK that cod is being overfished and in decline.  But the good news, according to this handy Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI) booklet explaining which fish are ethically OK to eat and which are not when dining in South Africa, is that snoek is still plentiful and OK to eat!  Hurray!  Ditto my beloved mussels, oysters, calamari, butterfish and good ol’ hake.  Snoek has always been an integral part of the diet and culture of the so-called “Cape coloureds”, referring to the predominantly Afrikaans-speaking community that has its roots in the indigenous Khoisan people;  slaves brought from the Dutch East Indies by the Dutch colonists in the 17th century; or a combination of these and other local ethnic groups.  In fact, they have a saying equivalent to the English “well, knock me over with a feather!”, which goes along the lines of “slaat my dood met ‘n pap snoek!” (literally “strike me dead with a limp snoek”).  But although most South Africans are happy to eat snoek at home on the braai, many restaurants still do not serve it, except as smoked snoek pate.  The reason is probably twofold.  Firstly, the bones are easiest to remove by hand, which is no problem at home but makes for an unedifying spectacle in a restaurant dressed in your best frock.  Also, snoek has never quite shaken off its image as a food of deprivation – people who can’t afford sole eat snoek, so there is some resistance to ordering it in a restaurant.  But if the FAO are correct, it’s time we all learned to give snoek a more prominent place on restaurant menus and gave the overfished species a break.  I, for one, would be thrilled to see more snoek on menus.

UPDATE 2019: I have not been to the Cruga shop in years and I am not sure if they still stock snoek, but you can sometimes also get it from Best Biltong South African shop in Kingston-Upon-Thames and Mauritian Foods Online.

As promised, here are a couple of recipes for South Africans who have access to snoek, or Brits who are looking to revise their opinion of it 😉

WHOLE SNOEK ON THE BRAAI

Dead easy, this.  The hardest part is to find a cleaned and butterflied snoek!  All you need it Bovril and smooth apricot jam.  Seriously.  Dissolved a tablespoon of Bovril with hot water in a Pyrex jug. Add about 2 tablespoons of smooth apricot jam and microwave it on medium heat for 2 minute bursts, stirring in-between, until the jam has dissolved and a smooth sauce had formed. And that’s it! You can add some fresh black pepper if you feel you haven’t done enough 😉  Place the snoek skin side down on a lightly oiled braai grid over an indirect fire in your Weber kettle braai (or, indeed, over any braai fire.  Let’s not be prescriptive here!).  Baste liberally with the sauce and… leave it alone.  Have a drink.  Then check back and baste some more.  It should cook in about 15 – 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.  Do make sure it’s cooked through.

SMOORSNOEK / GESMOORDE SNOEK (which is what became of our leftovers!)

Ingredients (the amounts can be scaled up or down depending on how much snoek you have)
1kg cooked (or smoked) snoek, skinned, boned and flaked (or substitute smoked mackerel or cooked smoked haddock)
2 large potatoes, cubed
1 large onion, chopped
2 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped into eighths
1 small green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped (optional)
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp sunflower oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method
Boil or steam the potato cubes until just soft.  Drain and keep warm.  Heat the oil and butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan, fry the onions and green chilli until the onions start to brown.  Add the green pepper and the potato and continue to fry until the potatoe cubes start to brown slightly.  Keep stirring to make sure the mixture does not burn.  Add the tomato and allow to combine with the other ingredients into a soupy stew.  Add the flaked fish and allow to simmer gently until the flavours start to blend.  Add a little boiling water if the saucepan is too dry.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve hot over rice.

SMOKED SNOEK PATE

Ingredients
250g smoked snoek, boned & flaked (you can substitute smoked angelfish)
250g cream cheese (I would use Philadelphia or similar)
1Tbs lemon juice
pinch of ground ginger
5 spring onions, finely chopped
125ml whipping cream
Optional – you can also add a splash of tabasco or a teaspoon of horseradish paste

Method
Combine all ingredients except cream in a food processor.  Whip cream separately and fold into the mixture.  Scoop into a mould or individual ramekins and refrigerate.  Serve with wholewheat toast.

And see this great idea for snoek with bacon, cilantro/coriander leaves and orange.

More deliciousness for you!

  • Decadent mint chocolate chip browniesDecadent mint chocolate chip brownies
  • Apple caramel self-saucing pudding – SHF#6Apple caramel self-saucing pudding – SHF#6
  • Cocina Mexicana for London food bloggersCocina Mexicana for London food bloggers
  • WWBW4 New World Riesling – Danie De Wet RieslingWWBW4 New World Riesling – Danie De Wet Riesling

Never miss a Cooksister post

If you enjoyed this post, enter your e-mail address here to receive a FREE e-mail update when a new post appears on Cooksister

I love comments almost as much as I love cheese - so if you can't leave me any cheese, please leave me a comment instead!

« London food bloggers salt tasting
New York day 2 – Lady Liberty and Katz’s Deli »

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. herschelian says

    December 3, 2006 at 9:58 pm

    Oh yes! I have had the “disgusting” snoek conversation with many of the WW2 generation, and try as I might have never been able to persuade them that it is really delicious. I do make Gesmoorde Snoek, but use smoked mackerel as a substitute – obviously not the same, but quite good.
    You can buy Savannah Dry in big branches of Tesco – shelved with the ciders – but they don’t stock Savannah lite.
    I used to be able to get Anchovette at Waitrose many years ago, then they stopped stocking it. I was told that there was some EU regulation that their production (in Saldahna Bay) contravened, and as the market for Anchovette in the UK and rest of Europe was so small, the company decided it wasn’t economic changing things to meet the regulation, so stopped exporting it. Shame! it is something I really, really love – specially on hot toast in winter time. I get everyone coming over to bring me jars and jars of it (and Prep shaving cream for my old man).

    Reply
  2. Jeffrey Bary says

    December 4, 2006 at 7:41 pm

    Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute there. You can just say “(kudu, springbok etc)” and leave it at that. We want to hear about each and every one of these. The complete list at least to start. Then a description of the taste and a few pictures and recipes as well.
    If I’m lucky I can get frozen ostrich here in New York. Springbok? You must be kidding! Next time I go for a slice of pizza I’ll ask for the springbok with basil and garlic. I would have used another animal here as “springbok” is not inherently funny but I can’t even guess on the etc. I had to go to wikipedia to look up kudu.
    I served a rabbit stew over the weekend and that was more than challenging for my guests.

    Reply
  3. erin says

    December 11, 2006 at 6:40 pm

    I miss Snoek too and I only married a S. African, I didn’t grow up with it. One of my favorite food memories from when we lived in the Northern Cape for half a year was a Snoek braai in a mango juice marinade. I and the cook spent most of the afternoon peeling the crunchy skin off of the grill (to eat!) since no one else was interested in it. Silly people!
    I’d even settle for some Snoek biltong about now…

    Reply
  4. Natlan Maa says

    May 17, 2007 at 9:41 am

    I would also like to see Snoek on menus here in Cape Town. Two things about the post though:
    1. Snoek doesn’t have scales.
    2. Smoor snoek is traditionally made with salted, dried snoek (although many SA recipe books use smoked snoek). As with Baccalau, the dried fish is first soaked in water to get rid of most of the saltiness.

    Reply
  5. Leslie Cheong says

    February 26, 2008 at 5:12 pm

    Hello Cooksister,
    One supermarket chain plans to introduce the salted snoek to Singapore consumers in the next few days and as it is the first time this fish is available in Singapore, I wonder whether you have any tips on how to prepare the snoek before cooking, and whether you know of any Asian recipes for this fish. Will lightly grilling it and adding some sprinkling of curry powder add a zest to the dish? Would appreciate your early response before the fish goes public! Thanks.
    Leslie Cheong (Mr)
    Singapore

    Reply
    • maryse says

      May 5, 2017 at 2:48 am

      hi, is there still snook in Singapore? which supermarket chain has it? please help? i know this is an old comment but i’m desperate…
      thanks ahead Leslie.

      Reply
  6. anna says

    April 7, 2008 at 11:29 pm

    where can I find snoek? I live in Texas.

    Reply
  7. Natasja says

    June 6, 2008 at 3:01 pm

    Please can anyone tell me where i can buy snoek in the East of England?

    Reply
  8. George says

    June 10, 2008 at 1:13 am

    Anna
    I will be glad to help you but before you have to tell me have did you learn
    about salted snoek.

    Reply
  9. George says

    June 10, 2008 at 1:22 am

    Anna
    I willing to help you but before I will like to know where haved you learn to eat salted snoek. call me 714 537 8916

    Reply
  10. M.A.Moos says

    July 9, 2008 at 11:00 am

    Smoor snoek made the way explained above sounds absolutely disgusting.The only people that know how to make a proper smoor anything are the CAPE MALAYS

    Reply
  11. Chris de Lange says

    July 14, 2008 at 12:13 pm

    To the person that says Cape Snoek does not have scales, maybe you should come around to our place after a good day’s snoek catching and help wash the boat. Snoek are covered in small scales that stick like crazy to your boat, clothes, skin and equipment. If not washed off – preferably while still at sea – and left to dry, these tiny little scales need to be scraped off. And just to add salt to wounds, I love fishing, caught my quota of 10 last Sunday and ‘donated’ them all to the skipper of the boat to put towards fuel costs.

    Reply
  12. Elizabethl says

    July 18, 2008 at 6:16 pm

    It’s JUST as I suspected. I’m too gauche to be able to see how the smoorsnoek could be considered as “absolutely disgusting”. In fact, it sounds pretty amazing.
    I don’t think I’ve ever seen this fish here. But I wonder if sardines (because they are so oily) would have a similar flavour.
    I love the sound of apricot jam mixed with stock as a brushing sauce for barbecued fish. (I bet that would be good on chicken too!)

    Reply
  13. Jonathan Minnaar says

    August 23, 2008 at 3:19 am

    I am opening a South African Restaurant here in Texas, and I have been trying to locate a company that can import snoek to America. Do you know of any such company? If so Please email me at [email protected].

    Reply
    • Moenier says

      April 27, 2020 at 6:07 am

      Hi I’m moenier from south africa I’m 36 years old I saw your add , I’m from cape town I sell snoek fish at a good price, I’m looking to supply customers overseas my whatsapp number is 27815161815 its fresh i can airfreight to your destination let me know

      Reply
  14. Oscar says

    March 11, 2009 at 3:19 pm

    hi where can we buy snoek

    Reply
  15. margaret says

    October 17, 2009 at 11:38 am

    In north London, it’s now available at France Fresh Fish on Stroud Green Road.

    Reply
  16. Mark says

    October 21, 2009 at 7:14 pm

    It is not entirely correct to say that Cape Coloured people are a mixed race resulting from intermarriage, and it perpetuates the myth that the Cape Afrikaners with a darker complexion have no cultural or genetic root. In fact there is evidence, and much work was completed at Rhodes in this regard, showing that the mixed race Afrikaners have a far nobler heritage than simply the mixed offspring of settlers and slaves! They have a distinct ethnic root in the original Africans living in the Western Cape when the Dutch arrived and are descended largely from the Khoi and San people. An interesting and absorbing econ (involving numerous coloured folk in the responses) can be found at http://www.encounter.co.za/article/25.html as an example of how complex this is and how reducing it to simpler terms causes both confusion and insult. My partner is coloured and was disappointed that a potentially heart warming South African blog was tarnished by such a short sighted and insulting reference.

    Reply
  17. keith wilson says

    February 19, 2010 at 10:56 pm

    mmmmmm ever tried curried snoek very tasty!

    Reply
  18. Pierre says

    June 18, 2010 at 10:17 am

    I caught a snoek yesterday in the Hauraki Gulf here in Auckland, NZ. Popped it in my Bradley Smoker for about 2 hours with Alder Flavour sawdust. Just the way I remember it from the Western Cape. It is soooooo yummy. Sorry to torture you ex-pats so. Haha.

    Reply
  19. Mel says

    July 27, 2010 at 5:26 am

    I always like to go on your blog and I must admit, being a ‘Cape Colored’, I want to thank Mark who put that post about where we really come from. I am a retired professor in Literature at UWC and I recall how we used to teach our children our culture and heritage,I am disappointed to find that there are still so many white folks that doesn’t really know much about their fellow South Africans (the so called coloreds).Thank you anyways for your recipes. I do like your blog and often get some of my long lost recipes on here:)

    Reply
  20. Nisa says

    August 24, 2010 at 9:49 am

    Hmm, very interesting all these comments about the beloved snoek. Here’s an Indian twist to cooking snoek – either curried or fried with Indian spices.
    Fried Snoke: rinse and pat dry pieces of cut snoek, smear (liberally or otherwise depending on taste and ‘hot’ threshold) with chillie powder mixed with little bit of tumeric (borrie for South Africans)and fine cumin (jeera), garlic paste and salt to taste. Fry until crisp but not dried out. Sprinkle with chopped dhania (coriander) and lemon juice. Serve with basmati rice with whole cumin and plain yoghurt spiced with garlic, chopped green chillie and fine cumin.
    Curried snoek: make a paste with chillie powder, tumeric, fine cumin, garlic paste, salt and plain yoghurt. Smear this liberally on snoek pieces and lay these in a baking dish. Drizzle with little bit of olive oil. Bake in oven for approx. 30-40 min. Garnish with chopped dhania. Serve with cumin rice and veggies of choice.

    Reply
  21. Richard Dietzel says

    October 20, 2010 at 5:30 pm

    I came to your site while googling for Snoek recipes I had read a book “Bombers and Mash’ The Domestic Front 1939-45”, (Virago 1980) which is about the Home Front experience of women in WWII. Not a perfect book but an eye opener about the impact of the war on women and families.
    There were many recipe, advert, brochure and leaflet reproductions as well as recipes for all sorts of replacement foods, flourless, sugarless, eggless. The section on whale meat, snoek, “Rook Pie with Figgy Pudding” crow, thrushes, sparrow was intriguing! So I wanted a bit more information and you did a bang up job.
    I’ll have to look for some mackerel a common fish here in Oregon, USA. (That’s Orygun not Oregone)

    Reply
  22. Colin Bartlett says

    November 17, 2010 at 3:18 pm

    Here in Oxfordshire we have Faringdon stores or http://www.tasteofsouthafrica.com/

    Reply
  23. Coenraad van Deventer says

    December 13, 2010 at 6:31 am

    Hi, I am a commercial snoek fisherman. This is how you can braai a snoek: Get a fresh one, vlecked and washed. Cover it with medium coarse salt for about 30 min. Now wash it again and remove the salt, hang it out to drip dry for a few minutes while you prepare the coals. Paint it lightly with oil and put it on the grid and fry it on the meat side on hot coals. Turn it around after 1 min and lift the grid to ensure it does not stick to it(do the same with the skin side).Put it back on the flesh side and fry it for about 5 min. This seals the flesh and the result is a very juicy and tasty snoek. Coat the flesh side with your favourite basting while you fry it on the skin side. Now turn back on the flesh side an let the basting browns a bit. Lift the grid and put a news paper on the skin. Turn it around and remove the newspaper with your braaied snoek on it. Enjoy…

    Reply
  24. Hilda Davis says

    February 17, 2012 at 7:14 am

    Is there a plce in the USA where you can buy Snoek in any form to eat?

    Reply
  25. vee says

    February 20, 2012 at 10:38 pm

    Hi I am vee originally from Mauritius but now settled in the uk…of course we were not far from Cape town at one time. just wanted to share another snoek receipe with all of you in Mauritius we call it ‘Rougaille’ it’s made of salted snoek fish and it’s our favourite and very popular dish. First of all soak the fish in cold water for an hour then wash several time to get ridbof the salt. Remove from water heat a pan add some oil fry the fish until really crispy…take fish out once it’s done then use the same oil add chop onion wait until start getting brown add ginger garlic paste add fresh tyme cook for 1 mins then add 1 tea spoon of paprika followed by fresh tomatoes and tin chopped tomatoes leave to cook and simmer until u have a thick sauce. Add fish and green chillies leave cook for 2 mins serve with rice.
    Ingredient
    500grms snoek fish
    1 large onion chopped
    2 large fresh vine tomatoes chopped
    1/2 chopped tin tomatoes
    1spoon paprika
    1 spoon ginger garlic paste
    3green chillies
    2 table spoon vegetable oil
    Sail to taste
    Pls let me know if anyone tried this receipe.

    Reply
  26. Rooibos Tea says

    February 21, 2012 at 3:53 am

    I remember packing many items when I went to London the first time. Nowadays there seems to be so many South African shops. Tetley do a Rooibos tea, I don’t think it’s as good as Glen Tea

    Reply
  27. Lorrainel says

    February 8, 2013 at 12:43 pm

    Klink so lekker!!

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      February 12, 2013 at 11:02 am

      Dit was nogal! Maar al ons Engelse vriende dink ons is so mal soos hase met die sous! 😉

      Reply
  28. Duane says

    July 27, 2013 at 10:33 am

    Hello Everybody, any chance somebody know the ultimate recipe for SALTED DRY SNOEK
    Possibly best method or a old Cape Famous method used long time ago possible please

    Greatly appreciate

    Thanks

    Duane Els

    Reply
  29. Ruth Saacks says

    September 2, 2013 at 7:04 pm

    You know what I miss—Smoked Angel Fish—such a delicate flavour and never as fatty as Snoek can sometimes be.

    Reply
  30. Edward says

    September 16, 2013 at 4:40 pm

    Hi it great reading your blog as a fellow South African I was drooling over yourvreciepies the one thing I always loved was salted snoek can you forward me details of your contact in Milton Keynes so that I can try to get some snoek lekker lekker fire cracker bru

    Reply
  31. Chelsea says

    March 5, 2016 at 6:45 am

    Your comment about Cape Coloureds are unfounded, Coloured people are mainly related to the KhoiSan people who are the indigenous people of South Africa, we did not come to South Africa with the Dutch Settlers as slaves. Yes we are a mixed race, however our roots stem from the KhoiSan please dont post information that you’re not sure about and I think it’s really disgusting that you call yourself a South African yet you dont know the history of Land.

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      March 5, 2016 at 2:59 pm

      Hi Chelsea – thanks for your thoughts. Just to clarify – I specifically said that the Cape Coloured people are an ethnic mix of “slave labourers imported into South Africa by Dutch settlers as well as other groups”. I did not at any point say, nor do I think, that all Cape Coloured people are solely the descendants of slaves brought by the Dutch. The KhoiSan most certainly do fall under the umbrella of the phrase other groups originating in the present-day Western Cape which I included in my explanation. Furthermore, I believe that the Cape Malay community also consider themselves broadly as “Coloured” (for want of a better word), and they predominantly ARE descendants of the slaves brought from the Dutch east Indies, hence their Islamic culture. Given that this is a food, not an ethnographic or social anthropology blog, I provide short explanations like this for context, not as a definitive text and as I pointed out above, my original explanation (although not exhaustive) is certainly not inaccurate. Contrary to what you believe, I am aware of the history of my country and feel a responsibility as somebody with a sizeable online audience not to disseminate inaccurate information. In the interests of promoting understanding of this unique community, I have expanded my original definition somewhat to specifically mention the KhoiSan as one of the many and diverse strands of the ethnic heritage of the Cape Coloured community.

      Reply
  32. V Tavares says

    March 7, 2017 at 4:44 pm

    Thank you for sharing this great post. The information is just enormous. I was looking for things about snoek, I produce dry salted fish from Norway and some of my customers buy salted snoek. However I never took the time to figure out what exactly it is … so your post has helped alot. Thanks

    Reply
  33. indrawattie says

    August 24, 2017 at 11:42 am

    I would like to buy slated snoek fish can you tell me how much it please

    Reply
  34. T van Rooyen says

    April 4, 2019 at 11:24 am

    Oh you really got my mouth watering…..it is years since I had snoek but so many happy memories.
    When I was 9, I brought a box of smoked snoek back from my holiday in CT for my Std 1 teacher because it was the best present in the world that I could think of 🙂 She must have thought I was bonkers! Later at UCT we lived on smoorsnoek (everything was a “smoortjie” in fact).
    Today, out in the Cotswold boonies, I have no hope of getting saffer foods but I can dream. Maybe I’ll make some babotie tonight, just for old times sake.
    Thanks for some great recipes!

    Reply
  35. Victoria Morgan says

    December 12, 2019 at 6:31 pm

    My dad and I are spending a year on the WW2 ration book diet so I bought some snoek online, I could only get salted in a vacuum pack and have never eaten salted fish before so I’m soaking off the salt and taking out the bones and turning it in to fishcakes. I’m nervous because of all the horror stories but at least if it’s awful I can shrug it off as a real WW2 experience but your page and recipes have given me hope that it might not be too bad after all.

    Reply
  36. phillip says

    November 7, 2020 at 3:11 pm

    HI is it possible to buy or find an outlet selling Kingklip in the UK.Kingklip is a great South African Fish.For me its one beat tasting fish in the sea .

    Reply
  37. neville bruyns says

    October 15, 2021 at 3:52 pm

    Hi living in canada for more than 50 years would like to know if its possible to buy some smoked snoek? have a nice day
    neville

    Reply
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Never miss a Cooksister post!

Get my latest recipes delivered by e-mail!

Search over 500 recipes

Recently on Cooksister

  • Masalchi by Atul Kochhar – Indian street food in Wembley
  • Barbecued salmon with blood oranges and capers
  • Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta, pomegranate and pine nuts [GF, V]
  • Love Yourself healthy meal delivery [Review]
  • Antillean
  • Festive roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
  • Rustic blood orange and pistachio galettes
  • Cauliflower steak Welsh rarebit

Archives by month

Archives by category

Popular posts

Peppermint Crisp fridge tart - a South African treat
Oxtail and red wine potjie
Nigella's Bakewell slices & the Big Bakewell Taste-off
Roosterkoek - a South African braai essential
Gem squash 101: how to find them, how to grow them, how to eat them!
Jan Ellis pudding - a classic South African dessert

Featured on

Also available on

🌷🌷🌷 It’s tulip season in London! Every 🌷🌷🌷 It’s tulip season in London!

Everywhere you look, these long-legged floral supermodels are adding a splash of colour to parks and gardens and I just can’t get enough of them! It’s easy to see how they inspired a collective buying frenzy in 17th Century Holland, called “tulip fever”, but today there are less dramatic ways to enjoy them. Here are a couple of suggestions of where to see them at their best:

🌷 The ultimate tulipalooza is the annual opening of Keukenhof gardens outside Amsterdam where 7 million (!) bulbs burst into life each Spring. This year the gardens are open 24 March-15 May (click on the link in my bio for FAQs and my top tips for visitors)

🌷In London, Kew Gardens always has spectacular displays of tulips; but you can also see excellent and free tulips in most of the Royal Parks such as Regents Park. 

🌷The Hampton Court Palace tulip festival is on until 2 May and the Hever  Castle’s Tulip Celebrations until 24 April - both within easy reach of London.

🌷The Morges Fete de la Tulipe in Switzerland takes place every year against the spectacular backdrop of Lake Geneva - it is on until 8 May this year.

I spotted these spectacular red frilly parrot tulips beside St Paul’s Cathedral yesterday 🌹 Where is the best display of tulips that you have ever seen?
MASALCHI BY ATUL KOCHHAR - pan-Indian street food MASALCHI BY ATUL KOCHHAR - pan-Indian street food restaurant in Wembley

Remember to save this post so you can find it later! 🔖

[Invited] If you thought Brick Lane and chicken tikka masala or madras were all there is to know about the food of the Indian subcontinent, think again! In the shadow of the Wembley arch,  @chefatulkochhar has opened his first casual dining restaurant,  showcasing the rustic, spicy, diverse street foods of India. 

Highlights when I visited included:
1. Carrot halwa
2. Papdi chaat
3. Chicken 65
4. Tandoori broccoli
5. Smoky aubergine chokha
6. A snap of all our mains - you can read all about these and more in the full review on my blog - click the link in my bio or go to:
 https://www.cooksister.com/2022/04/masalchi-atul-kochhar-indian-wembley.html

What is your favourite dish from the Indian subcontinent? Let me know in the comments 🌶🌶🌶
🍒🌸 It’s cherry blossom season! 🍒🌸 T 🍒🌸 It’s cherry blossom season! 🍒🌸

There is no season in London that I love more than cherry blossom season! From March through to April, trees in various parks and gardens in London put on an amazing display of delicate pink and white blossoms - and everything in the city seems a little more magical. This particular tree near St Pauls must be among London’s most photographed, and it’s not hard to see why 💕

Did you know that...

🌸cherry blossoms are Japan’s national flower and are known as Sakura 

🌸In 1910, Japan sent the USA some cherry trees as a goodwill gesture… and the Dept of Agriculture inspectors nearly caused an international incident by burning them as they were carrying insects and diseases! But in 1915 Japan sent more cherry trees that survived the inspectors, and these marked the start of cherry trees in the USA.

🌸 Peak blossom season is usually only two to three weeks in March/April but is hard to predict as the weather and the subspecies of tree influence the timing.

🌸The cherry blossom capital of the  world is Macon, Georgia with 300,000 - 350,000 Yoshino cherry blossom trees.

🌸 There are over 200 different varieties of cherry blossom and some are purely ornamental (meaning they produce no cherries)

Where is your favourite place to see cherry blossoms in London or around the world? Let me know in the comments and happy blossom hunting! 🌸🍒🌸

#pinkpinkpink
Dyed Gwyl Dewi Hapus - that's Happy St David's Day Dyed Gwyl Dewi Hapus - that's Happy St David's Day to those of you who don't speak Welsh! 

1 March is the Welsh national day  and what better way to celebrate than surrounded by daffodils -  the Welsh national flower!

Did you know that:
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The English name "Wales" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word meaning "foreigner" - but the country's Welsh name "Cymru" means "friends" in Welsh.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The  Welsh language Cymraeg is the oldest language in Britain, at about 4,000 years old!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 There are more castles per square mile in Wales than any other European country.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Mount Everest is named after George Everest, the Welsh surveyor who first mapped the peak on western maps.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The beautiful Menai bridge (spanning the Menai Strait between the Isle of Anglesey and mainland Wales) was the first suspension bridge in the world.

Have you ever visited Wales? What did you like most about it?
*NEW RECIPE* Barbecued salmon with blood oranges, *NEW RECIPE* Barbecued salmon with blood oranges, capers and dill. Pretty in pink 💕

[AD] Blood oranges are a small obsession of mine - from blood orange posset to blood orange and halloumi salad to blood orange & Cointreau upside down cake, I am always looking for new ways to make the most of their short season. Barbecuing them with salmon, capers and dill is a perfect match in terms of flavour as well as colour (or you can oven bake the salmon if it's not barbecue weather where you are!)

When @grahambeckuk asked me to suggest some recipes to match their wonderful Graham Beck Brut Rosé NV sparkling wine from South Africa, this was a pairing made in heaven, and wonderfully colour co-ordinated with their silver-pink bubbly. Get the full recipe and find out more about Graham Beck's sparkling wines, made using the same methods as Champagne, on my blog - link in my bio above. 

What do you like to do with blood oranges? I'd love to hear in the comments!
💘"Love yourself first and everything falls into 💘"Love yourself first and everything falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world." - Lucille Ball

Whether you are celebrating with a partner, with friends, or by yourself today, I hope most of all that you love yourself, love your body, love your strengths, love your weaknesses, and love who you are (or are becoming). Because... you're worth it!

Are you doing anything celebratory today? Let me know in the comments 💘💘💘

(The beautiful street art is London Hearts by @akajimmyc)
📸: @girl_travelsworld
Would you believe me if I told you this is NOT a p Would you believe me if I told you this is NOT a picture of a Moorish palace, a castle or a cathedral? And that you can get to it from central London in under an hour?

This is Crossness Pumping Station @crossnesset , a Grade I listed heritage site and one of London's last remaining magnificent Victorian sewage (!) pumping stations in Abbey Wood near Rainham. 

Did you know that...

💩 You can visit the building on monthly open days - the next one is Sun 20 Feb. Book at www.crossness.org.uk

💩  It was only in 1856, after 3 major cholera outbreaks in 30 years and the Big Stink when the stench of London's sewage finally reached Parliament, that construction of an intercepting sewer system for the city was approved.  The system (parts of which are still in use today) was designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, Chief Engineer of London's Board of Metropolitan Works at the time.

💩  At Crossness, all London's sewage from south of the river was was raised by 9-12 metres to large reservoirs so that gravity would cause it to flow further east and into the Thames estuary. (Yes, until the 1880s, raw sewage was simply pumped into the Thames!)

💩 The incoming liquid was raised by the four enormous steam driven pumps, built to Joseph Bazalgette's design. The pumps were named Victoria, Prince Consort, Albert Edward, and Alexandra. They are thought to be the largest remaining rotative beam engines in the world, with 52-ton flywheels and 47-ton beams. 

💩 The pumping station was decommissioned and abandoned in the 1950s but declared a listed building in 1970.  Although all 4 beam engines remain in place, they were so damaged that today (thanks to the efforts of the Crossness Engines Trust) only Prince Consort has been restored to working condition and can be seen in action on open days.

💩 The exuberant and colourful wrought ironwork inside is the amazing work of architect Charles Henry Driver. My favourite detail is the fact that the pillars in the central atrium are topped with stylised figs and senna pods... two of nature's greatest natural laxatives 🤣
*NEW RECIPE* Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta ch *NEW RECIPE* Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta cheese, pomegranate and pine nuts

Ever noticed how you are affected by colours? 🌈

Maybe some colours make you agitated and some make you relaxed. Or maybe you find yourself inexplicably attracted to a particular colour (oh, hi teal and aqua!💙). On the basis that all colours have a wavelength, and that those outside the visible spectrum can affect us, it makes sense that the colours we see can affect our mood or even our physiology. Did you know for instance that exposure to red light can increase your blood pressure and heart rate? Are there any colours that you find yourself particularly attracted to or affected by?

The pretty colours of these roasted Brussels sprouts with feta cheese, pomegranate and pine nuts will be the first things that attract you to this dish - but it is the delicious combination of flavours and textures that will keep you coming back for more!

The recipe (and more about how colour affects us mentally and physically) is now live on my blog - click the live link in my profile and remember to like and bookmark this post to see more Cooksister in your Instagram feed ❤️
Perspective: a particular attitude towards or way Perspective: a particular attitude towards or way of regarding something.

Perspective is the one thing that the Covid-19 pandemic has given us plenty of. It has certainly made us re-evaluate what is truly important, and also what we did and didn't enjoy about our lives  before the pandemic and its associated lockdowns. It made me appreciate how much happiness my house, my job, my friends, my own company and my running bring to my life (and how fortunate I am to have all these things). But it also brought home how much I enjoy and miss travel, the theatre, and the luxury of reataurant visits at the drop of a hat. I don't think words can describe my joy at sipping the first coffee purchased from a coffee shop in summer 2020 as lockdown eased. It's the little things...

One of the things I have enjoyed and will not miss as the world creeps back to normality is the absence of crowds in what is usually a crowded city. On the occasions that I have been in central London since the start of the pandemic, streets have been blissfully empty and it has felt as if I were discovering my city anew. This glorious perspective (hah!) of St Paul's Cathedral normally requires a long wait while a queue of tourists and "influencers" ahead of you pose for photos - but on this glorious day last Spring it was almost deserted. I will miss that...

Is there anything you will miss as Covid-19 restrictions start to be lifted?
Load More... Follow me on Instagram

Follow Jeanne Horak-Druiff's board Recipes by Cooksister on Pinterest.

Cooksister

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Salmon with blood oranges dill and capers
Brussels sprouts with feta and pomegranate
Roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
Blood orange & pistachio galettes
Cauliflower topped steak with melted cheese
Plate of potted smoked salmon with slaw and a glass of champagne
bowls of pistachio pomegranate bircher muesli
Brussels sprouts with chorizo & hazelnuts

SITEMAP

Home

Contact

About me

Recipe Index

Restaurant Index

Copyright & Disclaimer

Cookies & privacy policy




blog counter

© 2004 - 2022 · Jeanne Horak unless otherwise stated - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may not reproduce any text, excerpts or images without my prior permission. Site by RTW Labs

Copyright © 2022 · Cooksister on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Cooksister cookie consent
We use cookies to ensure you receive the best experience on our site. If you continue to use this site, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT