THE sea! the sea! the open sea!
The blue, the fresh, the ever free!
Without a mark, without a bound,
It runneth the earth's wide regions round!
It plays with the clouds; it mocks the skies;
Or like a cradled creature lies...
My mother would often recite the opening lines of this ancient poem by Bryan Waller Procter (pseud. Barry Cornwall) when she was feeling particularly excited about going to...the sea!
Mom Lily used to be an avid fisherwoman up till the age of around 70 and always showed the men up!
The menfolk spent hours getting their special gear and bait together, but Mom would just calmly pick up her rod, put on whatever bait was nearest and often be the one to hook the Big One!
Mom tells me this was the very last fish that she caught!
We used to spend many winter holidays by the sea when I was a kid, and the fish caught would be fried, grilled over the coals, smoked and even pickled.
I was reminded of those carefree holidays recently when we spent time with special friends in an authentic fishing village in the Western Cape just before Covid19 showed its ugly face here in SA.
Our cute little fishermen's cottage.
Struisbaai harbour
Fried Silver Fish & Salad from a takeout on our arrival.
We managed to get a couple of really nice sized Yellow tail straight from the fishing boats.
A man can dream can't he:)
My dear friend Pat decided to treat us to Pickled Fish so I sat and watched; should have taken photos of the process but woke up too late so here is the final product - delicious piquant Pickled Cape Malay Yellow Tail; salty, sweet, sour and spicy!
I can tell you how to make it though so here is...
THE RECIPE/METHOD
- Approx 1 kg Yellow Tail or any other white fish, filleted and cut into portions.
- Season fish, roll in a Flour and Masala mix and fry lightly in shallow oil.
- Blanche 2 large Onions, thinly sliced, in approx 6 cups salted water, strain and set aside.
- Place into pot: 1 cup Water, 2 cups white Vinegar, 2/3 cup Sugar
- Add & simmer for 2 min: 3 Bay leaves, 1 tsp Fennel, 6 cloves, 1 tsp Masala, 1 tsp Cumin Seeds, 6 Peppercorns, 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- Thicken with a little Cornflour.
- Layer Fish & Onions and pour sauce over.
- Enjoy the next day or leave a little longer for the spices to blend.
THE VERDICT Absolutely scrumptious!
I hope you enjoyed this pickled fish and the visit to the fishing harbour for's Hive Top Chef! Something, Something Seafood
Thank you for stopping by
