Tiger Fish!

I have to digress slightly here! I have been on 10 days' leave and spent some of the time exploring the beautiful Chobe game reserve as well as fishing. The fishing has not been good. I have literally caught two in the entire 10 days. HOWEVER, the one I caught was this!

Nearly eight kilograms of Tiger Fish. Well because I fish strictly for food I am going to have an interesting time finding ways of preparing and cooking this. I will give at least half of it away to some Zimbabwean friends who love fish.

I will blog as I turn this fish into delicious meals. In the meantime, like all other base lying fishermen I have to tell you the story of catching this particular fish! As I am not a sport fisherman, I do not have an accurate scale, but this fish weighs 7kg on our new bathroom scale. I think it is closer to 8kg. As Tiger Fish go in our region, that is way above average for fish caught here. A good fish is often 3 maybe 4kg. A fish this size is not particularly the best meat. However, I was compelled to kill it due to a bite it sustained from a crocodile whilst I was landing it. No jokes and this is not a fisherman's tale! Here goes.

I was spinning using a spoon I designed and made myself. Here it is.

After a fairly classic smashing strike, the fish ran off about 120 meters of line. I was using an 8kg braided line. A very dodgy line I have had some breakages with so I was playing the fish very carefully. I had a few airborne leaps but tried to avoid them by giving a bit of slack when I saw the line angling towards the surface. After 35 minutes the fish was close by. The water shallowed and there were a lot of rocks I had to steer the fish through. The fish was splashing around a lot and it must have attracted some crocodiles. All of a sudden there was a crashing of spray and a huge croc lunged at the fish and grabbed it just behind the gills. I screamed and waved my hands and fortunately, the croc was as surprised as I was and dropped the fish and plunged back. At this point, I noticed 3 other crocs, all-around 10 or 12 feet on the surface surrounding the action. Here is one my daughter photographed last week the same size.

The big one I had just driven off didn't go far but circled and began coming in again. Well, all this was happening in seconds! Adrenaline was rushing, my heart was pumping! Holding the rod with one hand I managed to pick up rocks and hurl them at the crocs until they submerged. Not sure if that was a good idea because I didn't know where they were now. To cut a long story short I managed to tussle the fish over the rocks to a fairly rocky place in the water where I hoped I was protected from the crocs. I managed to get hold of the steel trace and towed the fish onto the bank where I dispatched it. Fortunately, the bite from the croc did not damage much meat. I had to carry that fish nearly a kilometer to reach the car on shaking legs.

Deep Fried Calamari Rings

Fried Calamari is a huge favorite seafood in Southern Africa. It is found on most restaurants menus. I cooked a batch this week and decided to share it here. Many people shy away from cooking it at home. This is often because of bad experiences with results. I must say at this stage that the length of cooking time and the temperature of the oil is of paramount importance. A few seconds in the oil too long and you get rubbery meat! There are actually very few restaurants that get it right either.

To start with, you need good quality fresh rings. I have found that the South African Breco brand of ready prepared quick frozen rings are of consistent quality and the right size. If you dont have to prepare and clean the whole Calamari yourself then dont!! Its messy, but I must tell you that the results are quite a bit better than using frozen.

Ingredients for 4 servings.

800g prepared cleaned rings.
fine fresh breadcrumbs
1 egg well beaten..
As you can see the ingredients are simple. It is the process that is tricky. Yet it is also simple...it just needs to be done a certain way.

Method

Dry the rings thouroughly. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. I do it by making a pouch by holding the 4 corners or a clean dry tea towel. Put the rings in and then toss the rings by patting upwards with the other hand. Keep doing this and even change the tea towel for a dry one. Take your time and do the job well. I do not put the rings into flour before egging and breading them. I find this way produces better results. The crumb coating sticks and sets more firmly and doesnt come off in the cooking.

Next drop the rings into the egg and then after coating them drop them into a pan of breadcrumbs. Shake and toss until well coated. Remove and leave to set for an hour at room temperature.

Put clean cooking oil onto heat and put one ring or a piece of one into the oil and wait for the oil to heat and brown the ring. When it is well browned turn your stove top to keep the temperature the same. I do it by turning the knob back slowly until I hear it click. Try it! It works every time and is the most foolproof way of getting the temperature right. Now cook in batches of 10 rings. They should not be in the pan for more than 50 to 60 seconds and should be removed when they are a pale straw. As a general rule, rather have oil too hot.
The best way of eating these in my opinion is with a simple gherkin and caper tartare sauce or a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Mussels. Quick and very delicious!

Back to South African seafood..
Mussels in South Africa are still very cheap and easily found. They are frozen but that is fine. They are also farmed extensively and to be quite honest, the farmed mussels are far nicer than freshly collected in my opinion. Maybe its just because there is no grit, no beardy bits and no sore hands!! Just a tip for collected mussels. Put them in a netting bag overnight in a rock pool. They will purge any sand. Dont even try and pull off the beardy bits like all the cook books tell you...snip them off with kitchen scissors. To open and remove the half shell, just dump the mussels into a large pot of boiling water for a minute, then drain them. Use a small sharp knife and sever the muscle on the inside of one shell half and break off that same shell half. But like I said. Rather buy frozen prepared half shell mussels!

Ingredients:

For a good large snack or light meal for 4 people, use one and a half kilo of half shell mussels.
4 segments of finely chopped garlic
if you can get, fresh dill finely chopped
bread crumbs
cayenne pepper
250ml butter melted. You can also use a light olive oil which gives a whole different flavor slant. I often use half and half as I find butter a bit rich for me personally.

Melt the butter and add the garlic, black pepper and a pinch of cayenne pepper. DONT cook the garlic. You need pure flavor here.
Lay all the shells out on a baking tray and spoon the melted butter and garlic into each shell. Sprinkle with the chopped dill and a pinch of breadcrumbs which helps capture the juices. Grill until the mussels just start to shrink and serve immediately in the pan with fingers of fresh bread to mop up the juices! There will be No complaints I promise you!

Crayfish/Lobster

Found on the West Coast as well as the East coast (different species) Rock Lobster or Crayfish are widely eaten. They are very similar to Lobsters and so are easily substituted if you are not from Africa.

It is best as always to use fresh or live Lobster. If live, merely drop them into a container of fresh water for 10 minutes. Painless, stress free for both Lobster and Cook! No stabbing in the right spot with knives etc!

If you are convinced of their freshness, frozen raw crayfish is also fine.
For the size commonly sold in Southern Africa (400g or about three quarter of a lb) you will need to drop them into briskly boiling water for 7 minutes. Put a cup of brown sugar into the water...it does all sorts of good things to the flavour! Remove and plunge into cold water and allow to drain on draining board. lightly larger Fish cook for 10 minutes. These are blanched semi cooked fish.

From here you need to twist off the tail from the abdomen firmly and draw it apart. Break off the claws and feelers and crack open the abdomen and rinse under flowing water. (all this if you have the patience to pick out the meat which I don't) Use kitchen shears and slip it under the carapace where it is broken from the body. Snip along the belly to the tail. Pull the shell away and reserve it for garnish.

Photo credit Andrew http://sjefhansen.wordpress.com

There are now a few ways of continuing. Check out this method by Chef Hansen who is an extremely promising South African Chef  here: Curried crayfish is a popular dish in Southern Africa, but it is more commonly eaten very simply with butter lemon and a touch of garlic.
Here is a variation that is delicious:
Ingredients:

4 prepared blanched tails (one per person.)
Whole lemon zest grated and juice reserved.
One heaped teaspoon chopped garlic. (never overpower the delicate flavor of the fish)
A heaped tablespoon finely chopped dill.
A good chunk of butter or olive oil if you prefer.
Black pepper.
Half wine glass good brandy.

Method
Split the individual tails into two "C" shapes and remove the vein.

Heat a large pan or cast iron griddle and heat the butter until starting to color. Throw in the garlic. Then work quickly and Immediately add all the tails if they fit. Cook for about a minute and turn the tail halves over. Throw in the dill and lemon zest and a good twist of fresh black pepper. Squeeze your two lemon halves over the tails and add the half glass of brandy. Light it and keep tilting the pan until the flame goes out. Another minute and remove from the pan. Serve immediately if possible either on rice with the pan juices or with french fries(my personal favorite!) It is also nice to snip the shells into similar shaped halves and serve the tails in the shells.

South African Fish: Pan fried garlic Kingklip

(photo credit chefkock)
I am going to feature a few popular South African fishes and the local methods of cooking them.
Kingklip is an amazing South African fish. As it is fished by long-line method, and caught in deep water, it has a low negative ecological impact. That is, it is targeted, and very few other species are caught as a by catch. Those that are, Hake, are also sustainable. Certainly in Southern African waters.
Enough. We can now eat with a good conscience!!

You will need for 4 people the following:
Ingredients:
1kg fillets cut into 4 portions. I far prefer to leave the skin on because there is a lot of Kingklip flavor there.
2 finely chopped garlic segments.
1 egg beaten
Cake flour.
Knob of butter
oil for frying. (I use a very light mild olive oil)

Method
Tip: If your 1 kilo of fish is in one long fillet like the photo above, then cut it in half lengthwise and then in half crosswise. Just make the tail side a bit longer to compensate for weight. The thick pieces will need to be fried on the three side not just two like the flatter tail portions.
beat the egg thoroughly together with the finely chopped garlic. Coat the fillets well and then roll them in the flour and allow them to set for at least 30 minutes. This protects the delicate flesh from drying out and imparts a beautiful garlic flavor. Don't overdo the garlic though or else you will lose the fish flavor.

Then in a non stick pan, melt the butter into about half a cup of oil and bring the temperature up until the butter solids are beginning to brown. Drop the fish in and start watching. As soon as it is browned turn it over. Brown all sides and remove. I have finally converted to the Jamie Oliver method of cooking fish skin side down first. With thick fish like Kingklip, if you do it skin side up first, when you turn it over the skin contracts and pulls the fish apart. I wish Jamie had told us all that that was the reason!!! Grrrr!
If you have any doubts about whether the fish is cooked, just gently lift and break a thick portion. It should flake right through and be white inside not pink. I cannot overemphasis how important it is not to overcook any fish. Kingklip can go rubbery and then can dry out very quickly. Be careful.Serve with a squeeze of lemon.
Bon apetit!

pan fried okavango bream

We are a family of keen fishermen........and one woman! However we are very different from many others. We fish strictly for the pan. We have an unspoken rule in our family; dont keep it or shoot it unless you intend to clean it, scale it and eat it. As a result we rarely fish for non edible fish unless we have a gastronomic plan for the catch.
We also only fish for what we need to eat. It doesnt matter if the fish are biting like mad. If we cant eat it or dont intend to freeze it, we simply stop fishing.
Anywayzzzzzzz...
BREAM!! Now thats our main target fish. When freshly caught and gutted and cleaned imediately, there is little to beat this freshwater fish. Frozen commercially produced bream is second best. It is normally also quickly gutted and cleaned which is the only method of totally avoiding the so called muddy taste that bream sometimes are reputed to have.

We cook bream in two ways. Filleted, egged and breadcrumbed then quickly fried. Its pretty easy as long as you let the breadcrumbs set for 30 minutes in the fridge.

The way I am going to deal with is pan fried whole fish. This is a pretty common way of serving it in restaurants and eating it traditionally.

There is nothing fancy about ingredients. Its all in the method.

Ingredients.
Teaspoon Fresh coarse ground black pepper per fish
Quarter cup olive oil per fish
fresh chopped fennel or parsley if available.
lemon wedges to serve

Method

Score the fish diagonally in two or three place on either side of the fish. This allows the fish to cook evenly and to let in the herbs and oil.
Thoroughly toss and coat the fish inside and out in the oil and herbs and black pepper.

Lay the fish in a heavy hot pan on one side and cook for about 10 minutes or until well browned. Turn over and cook the other side the same way.
Serve immediately with the lemon wedges and french fries. Delish!!!

Prawns Mozambique

We had a memorable family trip to Beira in Mozambique a couple of years back. Every morning we would walk a kilometer down the beach to a local fishing village and buy fresh, still wriggling prawns from the fishermen. They trawl these in seine nets from dugout canoes....Impressive seamanship!
Here they are.....fresh from the net!

One thing you have got to understand about proper Mozambique peri peri Prawns is that they are spicy. You can make them less hot....and I do for my wife who cant eat spicy food, but you are going to lose that essential taste element of the genuine thing. The key is fresh chillis, fresh ginger, fresh garlic, fresh coconut and fresh bell peppers. If you dont have the fresh ingredients it is simply not going to be Mozambique peri peri prawns. Although it may be spicy, it does NOT mask the flavours.

Marinade Ingredients

For a kilo of prawns
10 fat green chillis. De-seed 8 of them and chop finely.
2 Tblspn fresh grated ginger with skin on
3 pieces of garlic finely chopped. (Dont overdo the garlic it can mask the prawn flavour)
1 Green bell pepper finely chopped or grated.
Cup of olive oil.
2 tblspns grated coconut. Make sure its fresh and not an ancient packet from the back of the cupboard. Buy a coconut and break it up....the kids will love the novelty! Put a couple of tablespoons of the coconut milk into the marinade.
Thouroughly mix all the ingredients. Get them minced, diced or grated as fine as you can.

Method

Split the back of the prawn by inserting your wifes nail scissors behind the head and snipping down towards the tail. At first it seems fiddly but eventually you get the hang of it. Dont try and be gentle, fresh prawns can take it and if you snip deeply it helps to dislodge the vein. Try and slip a tooth pick or the end of the scissors under the tube you will fine just beneath the flesh under you slitted prawn. At the same time peel the skin back from the slit towards the legs but dont remove it. You just want the marinade to get under the skin. If you are lucky and the prawns were caught at the right time of day you will find the tube empty or clean. By the way, it is unlikelyyou will be poisoned or get sick if you eat the tube as many believe. They eat plankton and the tube is the alimentary tract. If you can get fresh prawns later in the day they will be clean because they are nocturnal feeders and will have cleared the waste.

Right you have your cleaned prawns in a large dish. Pour the marinade over and gently turn the prawns over in it. Put them in the fridge for a couple of hours but keep turning them every 10 minutes or so.

Lay them out in a large tray or on silver foil and bake them in the oven on high for about 15 minutes or until they turn orangy pink. Baste them a couple of times. You can do them on a barbecue too, just baste more often and dont let them dry out.
Serve on a bed of rice.
A very nice variation which is not strictly of Portuguese/Mozambique origin is to add honey or apricot jam to the baste. VERY delish!
Here they are hot out the pan....

Or hot off the barbecue....