One of the really nice things about living in the Cape is the ready availability of fresh snoek which, even at R35 or more each, is really good value.

If you ask 100 different people how they fry, braai, barbeque, bake, grill or smoor their snoek you will no doubt get 100 different answers and 100 different recipes — and probably all of them very good.

A whole fresh snoek is always converted into at least two tasty meals in our house. The first one is the traditional South African braai (that's barbeque or barbie to you foreigners), and the leftover fish is turned into my own delicious cross between kedgeree and the local version, called smoor snoek.

For the record, I baste the snoek on the barbeque with nothing else but melted butter. I sprinkle only coarse sea salt and coarse ground black pepper.

I braai the fish quickly, low and close to very hot coals, meat side first, then I turn it, lift it about four bricks from the fire, paint it liberally with butter again and leave it skin side down to cook through.

The whole process takes only a few minutes.

Once we've had our fill of the snoek the leftovers are wrapped in tin foil and kept in the fridge overnight. Then the following day comes the real treat — the kedgeree a la Hout Bay.

It's simple. It's delicious. And it goes a long way. With a good size snoek one can feed four on the braai and four again with the smoor snoek.

This is what you will need for smoor snoek:

Ingredients:

Instructions:

Boil the potatoes in plain water until just soft, then remove from heat, drain off the water, cover and set aside.

In a large saucepan heat the butter and olive oil and add the onion.

Over medium heat simmer the onion until it starts to soften then add the chopped chilli, garlic and chopped tomato.

Stir well and let it simmer for about five minutes.

Add the wine and bring to the boil for three minutes.

Add the chicken stock and sweet chilli sauce, a few twirls of salt and black pepper and reduce heat back to simmer.

Add the potatoes and stir in well.

Add the fish and stir in gently.

Cover and simmer for four minutes over low heat. This is just really to warm the fish through. Don't boil or overcook or the fish will turn into stringy mush.

Boil the Basmati, rinse in cold water, then spoon into a warm dish and heat in oven Sprinkle the rice with grated lemon or lime peel just before serving.

Slice the lemon into quarters and add it to the rice. It looks good and you can squeeze it over the fish, once you've dished up.

Footnote: If you don't want to go through the whole barbeque process there is an easy way out — use smoked snoek for the smoor snoek, just go easy on the salt because the fish is already naturally salty when smoked. Smoor snoek can be served as a starter or main course and it also makes the most superb sandwich on fresh wholewheat bread with a couple of slices of tomato.

Wine recommendation:

Mike of Wine Concepts suggests the Cederberg Bukettraube 2008 (R71.50) to go with Henrie's snoek dish.

A full, rich, complex wine with wild scrub aromas following onto a palate of soft litchi flavours with an interesting dryish finish.

To order this, contact Wine Concepts.