Ingredients

1.2 kg snoek, cleaned
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
red onion, sliced, for serving
celery, sliced, for serving

For the spicy apricot glaze:

80 g butter
4 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 small red chilli, seeded and finely sliced
½ cup apricot jam
2 T apricot chutney (optional)
4 T chicken or fish stock
10 g fresh coriander, chopped
1 lemon, juiced

Method

Prepare a braai and wait until the coals are gentle enough to cook over. Pat the snoek dry using kitchen paper, then place skin-side down on a sheet of tin foil. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

To make the glaze, heat the butter in a saucepan and sauté the garlic for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the chilli and stir. Add the jam, chutney and stock, stirring vigorously to combine, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the coriander and stir. Remove from the heat and transfer to a jug. Place the snoek (still on the foil) on the braai and, using a basting brush, generously baste the fish with the glaze. Cook for 8–10 minutes.

When the fish turns white, turn and baste it again, then cook for 3–5 minutes on the other side. For a smoky flavour, you could braai the other side without the foil, making sure the grid is well oiled to prevent the fish from sticking to it. If you do this, reduce the cooking time to 2–3 minutes and watch the fish closely. Serve with the celery and red onion drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice.

Siba’s tip: When buying fresh snoek, ask to have it cleaned. Before braaiing it, wash and pat it dry well using kitchen paper or a clean cloth. You can bake snoek in the oven instead of braaiing it, but make sure the oven is set to grill and move the fish to one of the higher racks to allow it to brown nicely.

I love snoek – it brings back great childhood memories as it was one of the things our family always looked forward to when we visited Cape Town. It does have a lot of bones, but I don’t mind as they’re long and easy to identify. Snoek is a meaty fish, so tends to hold up really well on the braai.

Browse more snoek recipes here.