Smoked Snoek Risotto

I use to hate snoek. Only because of the amount of bones it had and the effort it took to eat it. I was converted when I tried the typical South African snoek braai that was prepared by some locals in Gaansbaai the night before going shark cage diving. I never actually made it into the harbour the next day, let alone a cage in freezing cold water to be drooled over by some of the oceans biggest serial killers, because as with most South African braai’s, I got a little too drunk the night before and couldn’t stomach the thought of coming face to face with a Great White. Anyway, the snoek braai, that was prepared with butter, apricot jam, parsley and garlic, and then deboned for me in order to get me to eat it, was UNBELIEVABLE! I was reborn and willing to accept snoek into my life as my new favourite fish!

I still do it on the braai with the butter apricot garlic concoction, and have always loved snoek pate (no bones you see!), so I started experimenting a bit more with smoked snoek. I have made a few dishes, some not so remarkable, but this one is my all time favourite - Smoked Snoek Risotto, finished off with some sour cream and served with a butternut, feta and orange salad.

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp butter

60ml peanut oil (or vegetable oil, but not olive oil)

300g smoked snoek (deboned obviously)

3 or 4 shallots, or one brown onion, diced

3 garlic cloves

1 thumb size piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 red chilli, sliced

2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp coriander powder

1tsp smoked Maldon salt

1/2 tsp white pepper

250g risotto / arborio rice

100ml chardonnay (pref wooded)

750ml chicken stock (I added 2 tbsp of shitake mushroom stock powder to the chicken stock, but this isn’t essential)

Handful cherry tomatoes

2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

1/2 cup of cream (more if you like it creamier)

3 tbsp parmesan cheese

Saute the shallots / onion in the butter and oil, followed by the garlic, ginger and chilli. You want the onions to be slightly browned, but not burnt, before you add your spices and seasoning. Fry for another minute or two and then add half (250g) of the snoek, reserving the rest for later. Immediately add the risotto, and stir to get it nicely coated with buttery spices until you hear it starting to ‘sizzle’ slightly before you add the chardonnay - keep stirring until the wine is absorbed by the rice.

In a separate pot, keep the chicken stock on a low heat, and ladle about a cup at a time into the risotto, stirring constantly while the rice absorbs the liquid before adding another cup. Once you have added the last cup, turn off the heat and cover the pot, which will allow the rice to absorb the rest of the liquid while you start the salad.

Once your salad is ready, about 10 minutes, remove the lid from the pot and add the cherry tomatoes, parsley and the remainder of the snoek. Put the heat back on low, and then add the cream and parmesan and stir constantly. To make it really rich, add a knob of butter at this stage too.

Serve with a table spoon of sour cream, grated parmesan and extra parsley.