Cape Town snoek stew: Classic South African winter seafood

South Africa has an abundance of amazing fish along our coast and it means that we have some incredible seafood too. Snoek, a type of bream is one our most popular and most accessible fish. It’s flaky and when smoked as a great flavour that will stick with you for a long time. Our Cape Town snoek stew is a deliciously simple dish that the whole family can enjoy.

Cape Town snoek stew tips

Our recipe doesn’t have too many ingredients but you can get creative with flavours, like adding some roasted bell peppers to it. If your fish is fresh out of the water, you can soak it but it isn’t necessary if it’s cleaned and frozen. When flaking the fish, remove as many of the bones as you can. Don’t throw them away if you want to make a tasty stock. Serve with some bread and a glass of white wine.

Smokey and comforting, our Cape Town snoek stew is a classic South African dish from a beautiful city. Enjoy every bite with your whole family this winter.

Cape Town snoek stew recipe

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by Gary Dunn Course: MainCuisine: South AfricanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

2-4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

45

minutes

Total time

55

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 g 1 smoked snoek

• 6 small 6 potatoes

• 500 g 500 ripe tomatoes, sliced

• 4 small 4 onions

• 2 cloves 2 garlic

• 3 tbsp 3 butter

• 1 tbsp 1 sugar

• Salt and pepper.

• fresh lemon juice and wedges

Method

• Soak snoek overnight in cold water. Drain off water`and flake fish with a fork.
• Slice the onions and garlic. Fry them in butter until golden brown.
• Add the sliced tomatoes and sprinkle sugar over them. Cook the tomato-onion mixture until fairly dry, stir- ring occasionally.
• Add the flaked snoek, parboiled potatoes, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Cover closely and simmer very gently until potatoes are thoroughly cooked.

Notes

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When you’re in the mood for more South African seafood and need more creative recipes, have a look at our excellent recipe suggestions for you to try. There are many more old-school recipes like this one published in the Rustenburg Junior School Recipe Book in 1958.

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