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Whole butterflied snoek on a foil-lined braai grid being basted with paprika garlic butter and The Oil People Garlic Flavoured Oil

Snoek with Paprika Garlic Butter

Snoek season is here — and this is the recipe for it. Butter, smoky paprika, garlic and The Oil People's Garlic Flavoured Oil, basted right over the coals until the flesh flakes like it should.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 28 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: South African
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 250 g butter
  • 60 ml Wilson's Foods Garlic Flavoured oil (plus extra for brushing)
  • 10 ml Spanish smoked paprika
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1.5 kg shole snoek, cleaned and butterflied
  • 3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary (to use as a basting brush

Method
 

  1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat — on the stove or over the coals. Add the Garlic Flavoured Oil, smoked paprika and crushed garlic. Stir gently and keep warm. You want the garlic to soften and go fragrant, not catch and burn.
  2. Pat the snoek completely dry on both sides with kitchen paper. Brush the skin side lightly with a little extra Garlic Flavoured Oil to stop it sticking to the grid.
  3. Open the butterflied snoek out flat, skin-side down, on a hinged braai grid lined with foil. Brush the flesh side generously with the paprika garlic butter.
  4. Place the grid over medium-hot coals, flesh-side down. Grill for about 3 minutes until the flesh has some colour and is just starting to pull away from the foil.
  5. Flip the grid so the snoek is now skin-side down. Use your rosemary sprigs as a basting brush and baste the flesh side with the remaining paprika garlic butter. Grill for a further 10–15 minutes, basting regularly throughout.
  6. The snoek is ready when the flesh flakes easily under a fork but still looks moist and juicy. Serve immediately with a green salad or garlic bread.

Notes

Use fresh rosemary sprigs as your basting brush — it adds a subtle herby note and looks the part on the braai grid. Ask your fishmonger to clean and butterfly the snoek for you. Thick snoek fillets work just as well if whole snoek isn't available.