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Smoorsnoek
Smoorsnoek: Cape Town smoked snoek braised with onion, potato, tomato and chilli
Smoked snoek hangs in the fish shops of Kalk Bay and Muizenberg, and cooks across the Cape Flats turn it into smoorsnoek on a busy weeknight: the fish flaked and ‘smothered’ with onion, potato, tomato and green chilli until it all melts together. It is smoky, salty, a little sweet from the soft onions and gently hot, with enough soft potato to make it a meal. Pile it on white rice with a spoon of fruit chutney or apricot jam on the side, which is how many Cape families like it. Snoek is full of long, fine bones, and missing them is the mistake that spoils the dish, so flake it slowly with your fingers. Outside South Africa, smoked mackerel is the nearest swap. Chef's tip: taste before you add any salt at all; smoked fish brings plenty of its own.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb smoked snoekor 400 g hot-smoked mackerel fillets
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 onionsthinly sliced
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- 2 green chilliesfinely chopped
- 12 ½ oz potatoespeeled and cut into 1 cm cubes
- ½ cup water
- 3 ripe tomatoeschopped
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp black pepperfreshly ground
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp saltonly if needed
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander or parsley (optional)chopped
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Peel the skin from 1 ⅛ lb smoked snoek and flake the flesh into bite-sized pieces, running your fingers through each piece to find and pull out every bone.
Step 2: Heat 3 tbsp sunflower oil in a wide pan over a medium heat. Add 2 onions and cook, stirring, until soft and golden.
10 minStep 3: Stir in 2 cloves garlic and 2 green chillies and cook for 1 minute.
1 minStep 4: Add 12 ½ oz potatoes and ½ cup water, cover and cook over a medium-low heat until the potatoes are just tender when pierced.
8 minStep 5: Stir in 3 ripe tomatoes and ½ tsp sugar and cook uncovered until the tomatoes break down into a thick sauce.
5 minStep 6: Fold in the flaked fish and ½ tsp black pepper and heat gently, turning rather than stirring, until it is steaming hot right through.
4 minStep 7: Add 1 tbsp lemon juice, taste, and only then add ¼ tsp salt if it needs it. Scatter with 2 tbsp fresh coriander or parsley and serve with rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 27 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does smoorsnoek take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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