Baked snoek with a beautiful apricot & cumin glaze. 

Snoek is the most delicious fish, especially when it is slightly smoked. My fondest memories are visiting Snoekies in Hout Bay for some smoked snoek and chips. You can cook the snoek on the braai/BBQ or in the oven, I baked mine as I couldn’t bring myself to braai in the freezing cold.

Snoek is one of South Africa’s great dishes. If you are lucky enough to get a fresh snoek, here’s how to prepare and cook it to perfection. I would suggest buying it either from your fish monger or Woolworths, they butterfly it for you.

INGREDIENTS

800 g Lightly Smoked Snoek, Skin on with the bones (from Woolworths)
2 tbsp apricot jam
1 tsp ground cumin
5 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper
1 lemon, sliced

METHOD
Serves 4
Preparation: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes

Preheat the oven to 180C or turn on the braai.

In a bowl, mix together the apricot jam, cumin, olive oil, a large pinch of sea salt, black pepper, and 3 sprigs of thyme.

If you’re doing it in the oven:

Place a large sheet of tin foil over a large baking tray. Then place the fish skin side down, before you open it, brush a generous amount of apricot glaze onto the skin. Then open it up and brush the rest of the glaze over the flesh, and place the rest of the fresh thyme on top. Place the sliced lemon around the fish. Drizzle a generous lug of olive oil over the fish and lemon.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. 

If you are doing it on the braai/BBQ:

Place skin-side down over a medium heat (that’s when you can hold your hand over the coals for longer than eight seconds). Watch jam turn golden brown, I don’t usually turn my fish as I put the lid on, cook for 15 minutes. 

To make the carrots, cut a slit in the corner of the carrot packet and cook in the microwave for 3 minutes, do not over cook them. They must still be a bit crunchy, then place them in a bowl, coat with mint sauce, salt, pepper and olive oil.