The summer southeaster brings a number of benefits - clean air, sunny skies and yellowtail! These large fish are abundant in False Bay and off Cape Point in the summer months and a close community of super-skilled anglers cast from the ledges at Rooikrantz near Cape Point and reel their catch up vertical rocky cliffs, only to have to trudge them up the mountain at the end of the day to the car park. No mean feat. We were given a couple of these fine eating fish, which tend to be well-toned after a lifetime spent chasing after smaller prey. Yellowtail needs careful attention when cooking, as the dense flesh soon becomes dry and can be hard eating when overcooked. My preferred method of using yellowtail is to pickle it, as the texture is ideal and tends to soften as the weeks pass in a delicious pickling sauce. But today I tried something quick and easy as it was not a large specimen and could be dealt with at two sittings.
After cleaning the fish (in an unfrequented part of the garden where scales aren't a problem - grasp the tail and blast the scales off with a high-pressure fitting on your hose - done in a flash and nothing to clean up) and filleting it, I marinaded it for a few hours in a mixture of:
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Lemon thyme
Garlic
Dash of salt
Then, in a large pan, melt a knob of butter (as much as you like) and a few tablespoons of apricot jam (chutney will do just as well). On a moderate heat (you don't want the jam to burn), place the fish flesh side down and pour the marinade into the pan. Place a lid on it to cook from both sides in shortest time. When the skin peels off (you don't have to turn it), check that the thickest part can flake, and it's done!
Delicious on mash with pan drippings and a green salad.
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