Main Meals

Fish heads with sriracha butter

Serves 4

Difficulty Easy

cooking Time 15 minutes

"To me, cooking and eating fish heads isn’t anything new. My mom made fish head curry with aubergines at least once a month. Yes, it was the whole fish head. We now and then put them into a hot oven with simple seasoning, a drizzle of white wine and olive oil – so delicious. Just eating fish fillets will seem two-dimensional once you’ve tried fish heads. You miss out on enjoying those lekker gelatinous bits, the cheeks etc. It’s a whole different fish-eating experience." – Reuben Riffles

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Ingredients

Method

4 large meaty fish heads (kob or yellowtail works well)
Salt and ground black pepper
Olive oil
Lemon wedges
Sriracha Butter
¾ cup water
¾ cup butter, cubed
½ cup sriracha sauce

Method

Ingredients

1. Preparing the fish heads. Butterfly the fish heads by splitting them down the middle and opening them up. Give them a quick rinse in running water and pat dry with paper towel.

2. Preparing the Sriracha butter. Heat the water up slowly in a small saucepan, but don’t let it boil.

3. Whisk in the butter, bit by bit, allowing it to emulsify with the water to form a silky sauce.

4. Slowly whisk in the sriracha sauce.

5. Cooking the Fish Heads. Prepare hot coals.

6. Place the fish heads in a clamp-style grid, brush with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.

7. Braai them for 1–2 minutes a side, or until the skin begins to blister a little bit, then baste them liberally with the sriracha butter. Continue braaiing, turning often and basting, until they are cooked through, nicely charred and the skin is crisp.

Serving

Serve the fish heads simply with lemon wedges.

Find more braai recipes here.