Pan Fried Abalone

I was lucky enough to get my hands on some fresh farmed abalone from Greenfish. Farmed sustainably in Hermanus, this awesome source of Omega 3 has a unique flavour. Utterly delicious!


- 6 fresh abalone
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 tsp crushed salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 50g butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Clean abalone with a vegetable brush thoroughly to remove any black residue.
- Pat dry with paper towel.
- Slice abalone into thin rounds (I managed to get about 2-3 slices from each abalone).
- Using a meat mallet, pound the abalone until tender.
- Mix flour, salt and pepper together in a bowl.
- Dip abalone slices into the flour mixture, coating evenly and set aside in a separate dish.
- Heat the butter and olive oil in a pan on a high heat and wait until it's bubbling.
- Fry the coated abalone slices in the pan for 2 minutes a side until nice and golden.
- Remove from the pan and place on paper towel to absorb any excess oil.
- Serve with lemon mayonnaise (recipe in notes).
- 4 Tbsp mayo
- 1 lemon, juiced
- (mix together)




Coriander and Lime Chokka

This marinade will work well with an array of fish and shellfish. Quick and easy to make, which as you know, is my specialty! Enjoy.


- 250g chokka
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp coriander (finely chopped)
- 2 limes (juiced)
- 1 tsp sugar
- sushi mayonnaise
- Cut open the chokka tubes to make fillets.
- Remove the membrane from the chokka tubes by scoring them with a fork length ways. Any bit of residue that is retained in the fork can be disposed of.
- For the heads, remove the beak and cut the eyes off.
- Combine the olive oil, coriander, lime juice and sugar to make your marinade.
- Place the scored chokka fillets and your heads in a ziplock bag and pour the marinade into the bag.
- Seal and allow to marinade for about 5-10 minutes.
- Remove the heads from the marinade and thread onto a kebab stick for easy turning.
- Place the chokka fillets on a sealable braai grid which presses closed - this way when the chokka cooks, it will prevent them from curling.
- Braai on a medium high heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Enjoy with sushi mayonnaise on the side.
- For the heads, I cut the two long tenticles off so that they don't get stuck in the braai grid (however this is only a suggestion).
Braai’d Snoek with Sticky Apricot Jam Chutney

Nothing says South Africa more than a braai’d snoek with apricot jam. Local really is lekker!


- 1 snoek (from your local fish deli)
- 85g butter
- 2 heaped tsp crushed garlic
- 1/2 cup apricot jam
- 1/4 cup chutney
- 1/2 lemon (squeezed)
- Get your braai on the go and grease the grid so the snoek skin doesn't stick to it.
- Place your flecked snoek on the grid, skin side down.
- In a small pot on the stove, heat the butter and garlic and sauté for a minute or two.
- Add the jam, chutney and lemon juice and combine with a whisk into a nice sticky chutney jam.
- Allow the jam to reduce on a medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally with the whisk.
- Take the jam off the heat and allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes before basting the fish.
- Baste the snoek generously with the jam until evenly coated.
- Place the grid over the hot coals, skin side down.
- Cook on a medium heat, with the grid at its highest setting for about 15-20 minutes.
- Best enjoyed straight off the grid with your fingers!
- Do not add salt to the fish, as a proper flecked snoek would have already been salted in the process. Make sure your local fish deli has prepared your snoek properly by flecking and salting it accordingly.
- I used a braai grid with a handle so that I could quickly and easily remove from the braai once done.
- Make sure your fish deli supplies you with a good quality fish and not a "pap snoek".





Whole Baked Black Bream

Hottentot or “Hottie” is another name for this super tasty fish. I absolutely love baking a whole fish, especially when it arrives scaled, gutted and completely prepped – thanks Greenfish!
What I love so much about baking a whole fish is how social the meal experience is. In my family everyone grabs a fork and tucks in straight from the pan! This recipe is super flavoursome and to me the best part is the skin which really holds all the flavour, so don’t be tempted to toss it!


- 1 whole black bream (600 - 900g)
- 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 Tbsp chopped chives
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp course salt
- 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper
- 1 tsp fish spice
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 a lemon, sliced
- Combine the parsley, chives, garlic, salt, pepper, fish spice and olive oil to make a marinade.
- Dry the fish on both sides and score diagonally, about 1cm deep.
- Rub the marinade on both sides of the fish, working into the scored areas.
- Rub some of the remaining marinade on the inside of the fish and stuff the cavity with lemon slices.
- Place in a greased baking pan and cook at 220 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.
- Remove and enjoy hot from the pan!
- You can substitute the fish spice for chicken spice, which is equally as delicious!



The Best Tuna Melt



- 250g cooked tuna
- 1/2 celery stick (chopped)
- 1 Tbsp parsley (chopped)
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 5 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 3/4 cup mozarella (grated)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil (retain 1 Tbsp for cooking)
- Salt and pepper
- Bread
- Softened butter
- Shred the tuna.
- Add the celery, parsley, garlic, mayonnaise, mozzarella, olive oil (2Tbsp), salt and pepper.
- Butter the bread with softened butter.
- Heat a pan on a medium high heat.
- Add the remaining 1 Tbsp of olive oil.
- When the pan is hot, add one of the bread slices, and brown buttered side down.
- When the bread is starting to brown, scoop a few tablespoons of the tuna mixture onto the bread and cook a bit longer.
- Add the other piece of bread and flip the sandwich over, browning the other side.
- Remove from the pan when the bread is a lovely golden colour and the tuna melt is starting to ooze out the sides.
- Repeat this step to make more sandwiches.
- This recipe makes about 3-4 sandwiches depending on the size of your bread slices and how generous you are with your filling.


