Alaska Fishing Recipes

From on the barbeque to the campfire, these traditional recipes are ideal for eating outdoors.

These giant sea snails, which are also known as large periwinkles and “olly crock”, are very much a part of the South African seafood tradition. They are tough, though tasty, and best served minced with a creamy sauce. They are found mainly in rocky areas along the coast from the Cape Peninsula to KwaZulu-Natal up to six metres below the surface of the sea.

Cleaning Alikreukel.
1. Wash alikreukel well under running water to remove grit and sand. Discard specimens where the "trapdoor" is open or missing.
2. Place in a saucepan and cover with salted water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Alikrukel Preparation Remove with tongs from the water. Shake the shell hard and the flesh should drop out. The flesh will remain attached to its “trapdoor”, a circular disc which is rough white on one side and smooth brown on the other. Use a skewer or knife to separate this from the meat. Detach the soft dark-coloured vicera and discard.
4. With a knife split the remaining meat and scrape away any residue intestine. Wash thoroughly once more to remove the last traces of sand and grit.

Alikreukel On The Braai.
Allow the coals to die down to a medium heat. Place the grid at a point where the heat is too hot to hold your hand for more than a second and arrange well-rinsed alikreukels on it with the “trapdoor” facing upward. Allow to stew in their own juices for about 20 minutes, until the flesh can be pulled out of the shell and the “trapdoor” removed. Lift the flesh from the shells. Cut away the vicera and discard it. Slice the flesh and serve with Lemon garlic butter.

Mussels in brodo is always a crowd pleaser and this is a great twist on the classic preparation with white wine. The Anisette and basil pair very well together and the acidity in the tomatoes balances well with the shellfish. You can omit the butter is need be, but that really finishes the sauce off, thickens it up and provides an additional richness in flavor.

Ingredients:
20 large Mussels, debearded and scrubbed
2 Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Fresh Oregano, finely chopped
2 Fresh Sweet Basil Leaves, cut in chiffonade
1/2 teaspoon Fresh Italian Parsley, finely chopped
a good pinch of Crushed Red Chile Pepper
2 tablespoons Anisette (or brand name Sambuca)
1 cup Fresh Tomato Sauce
3/4 cup Fish Stock (or clam juice)
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter, cold
Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Method:
Add the olive oil to a saute pan over medium-high heat. Just before it starts smoking toss in the garlic. Just as it starts to turn golden brown (this will happen in a matter of seconds) add the mussels and toss to combine. Next, season the pan with salt and pepper along with the red chile pepper. Toss again, then take the pan away from the heat and pour in the Anisette. Place the pan back on the stove and let the Anisette ignite. Be careful here...enjoy the meal and don't burn yourself.

Let the alcohol from the liquor burn off then proceed to add the tomato sauce and fish stock. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat until the mussel shells open, about 2 minutes. Remove the cover and add the basil and parsley, then swirl in the butter. Remove the mussels from the heat and transfer to a large bowl. Serve.

As a Vaalie, (person living in the North of South Africa) I have never eaten bokkoms, but they were once a staple food along our West Coast where they were eaten like biltong (dried).

harders (mullet)
coarse cooking salt

Gut and wash the harders thoroughly (not necessary to scale them) 
salt the fish very well and layer them in a large container in a cool place overnight. Next day remove the fish from the salt and thread a length of strong twine through the heads to form bunches of 10 to 20 fish. Hang the fish out in a windy place until dry - a few days - but bring them in overnight.

This recipe for baked bonito seasoned with garlic and oregano is cooked with potatoes.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 60 minutes

Ingredients:
* 1 bonito, approximately 3 pounds
* 1/2 cup of olive oil
* 5-6 cloves of garlic, sliced
* sea salt
* freshly ground black pepper
* Greek oregano (rigani)
* juice of 2 lemons
* 2 1/2 pounds of potatoes
* 1 1/3 cups of water

Method:

• 1 pound crayfish tails (use rock lobster if in the USA)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces butter
• 1 cup onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salad herbs
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 piece lemon rind
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup light cream

Heat 1-1/2 quarts water in a large rolex replica sale to boiling. Add the lobster tails and salt, and simmer until tender. Remove lobster tail meat from shells, coarsely chop and set aside. Reserve stock.

In another large saucepan, heat the rolex replica sale and sauté the onions for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, herbs, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and lemon peel. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Add the wine and 4 cups rolex replica sale water. Boil soup and cook for 10 more minutes. Force soup through a food mill, then return to the pot.

Ingredients:
400g fresh or frozen sardines (anchovies can be used as well)
50ml cake flour
1 egg
15ml milk
125ml dried breadcrumbs
sunflower oil
coarse salt

Method:
Dust the sardines with flour. Beat the egg and milk replica watches sale and dip the fish in the mixture. Roll the fish in the breadcrumbs, coating them completely. Deep fry in hot oil, then drain on absorbent paper. Sprinkle the fis with coarse salt and serve them immediately.

"Enjoy this traditional recipe from Malta which makes a very flavorful sauce for octopus with potatoes, tomatoes, red wine and a hint of citrus that can be served over spaghetti, or just on its own. "

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds octopus
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon mixed spice
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup red wine
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (8 ounce) can peas, drained
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
10 whole pitted ripe olives
4 bay leaves
1 teaspoon white sugar

Method:
Place the octopus into a large pot and fill with enough lightly salted water to cover. Bring to a boil, and then simmer over medium heat until octopus is opaque, about 15 minutes. Drain and allow to cool slightly; cut into bite-size pieces.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, mint leaves, curry powder and mixed spice; cook and stir until onion is soft. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in the octopus pieces, wine, lemon zest and orange zest. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes to blend the flavors, then stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, peas, potatoes, olives and bay leaves. Cover and simmer over low heat until potatoes and octopus are tender, about 45 minutes.

Nothing like fresh fish on the braai on a Hot Summers Day!

In a bowl add a few glugs of extra virgin olive oil, Seafood Rub, salt, pepper and lemon zest.

Wipe the cleaned fish with kitchen towel to dry it. Slash the flesh in diagonal lines through to the bone.

Rub the mixture into the skin, slashes and cavity.

Cook the fish over hot coals until just cooked, brushing with marinade as you go. Do not overcook!

Serve immediately with balsamic roast potatoes.

Take a really sharp knife, some soy sauce, a paper plate and some pickled ginger next time you climb into a shad run.

Get the shad out the water, lose the head and guts. soak in fresh sea water in rock pool for no more than 5 minutes. fillet it and seperate it from the skin. lose the thin meat by the tail. Slice it carefully into slices about 3 cm thick. Arrange shad pieces around the edge of the paper plate. Cut the bottom from 2 beer cans about 10cm or so from the bottom. fill one with soy sauce, 1 with pickled ginger and place in center of plate and enjoy.

Ingredients:
4 medium sized skate wings 
4 tbs olive oil
juice of 2 lemon (original recipe says 1 but I found I needed more)
salt
1/2 tsp each cumin, dried ginger, chilli powder
handful of chopped, pitted, green olives
chopped peel of 1 preserved lemon
3 tbs chopped coriander or flat parsley

Method:
Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the chilli, garlic, cumin and ginger. Add the fish and fry the skate wings for about 4 minutes on one side, turn over, add the lemon juice and cook for another 4 minutes or until flesh comes away from the bone. Add the preserved lemon, olives and coriander/parsley and allow to heat through. Serve with lemon quarters.

All South African’s need to make sure that they have had a snoek braai sometime in their lives. It is one of those traditions that go down in your children’s memories as unforgettable.

In the Cape one can purchase a whole snoek on the side of the road just after the fishing boats have returned from sea. Make sure you choose one with firm flesh. Make sure your fish is gutted unless you know how to do it yourself.

Ingredients:
Melt ½ a block of butter
Add a small can of apricot jam
2 teaspoons of crushed garlic

Method:
Open your fish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lavish the butter mixture on the flesh.
Cover your braai grid with heavy duty tin foil and turn the corners up to make a ridge around the outside.
Place your whole fish on the braai grid. Baste continually until the fish is cooked. There is no need to turn it. Serve with salads and bread. CAUTION Snoek is a bony fish…let children eat it carefully. Keep bread on hand in case a fish bone does get stuck in a throat. A bread ball will normally push it down.

• Bones and head of medium size Yellowtail
• 1 liter water
• 1 liter milk
• 3 medium potatoes, peel and dice
• 1 medium onion, peel and dice
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 teaspoons Robertson's fish spice (optional)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup cream

Place bones and head of yellowtail in a medium saucepan, add water and boil for 30 minutes.
Add the milk and boil mixture for a further 10 minutes.
Strain the liquid to remove the head and bones.
Return the liquid to the saucepan and add, potatoes, onion, celery, parsley.
Boil until the potatoes are soft.
Working in batches purfify the liquid in a blender, then return to the saucepan.
Add cream and then season to taste with salt and pepper and fish spice.