5 minute read
EXOTIC EGYPTIAN FLAVOURS
Ali’s El Gouna ’Cuda Cutlet Spice
à la Martin du Plessis
IT’S amazing what a boat galley can produce, as we discovered when we lived onboard our tournament vessel for three days while fishing in the El Gouna IGFA Red Sea Championship in Egypt in February 2024 (Egypt).
The full competition report appears on page 46 in this edition but,in brief, the South African team – Chris Schorn (captain),Michelle Richards, Brad McLaren and myself – were joined onboard Sea School by Ibrahim (adjudicator),Ahmed (gillie),Ali Sambu (master chef, gillie and gaffer) and Captain Kimmou (skipper).
As I’ve said many times before, if fishing was only about catching fish, I would have given up long ago!
This trip ticked all the other boxes that usually form part of the total memorable “fishing package”– friends, sunrises, memories, salt on your skin, sunsets, great food and happy hearts and souls. And, of course, boats, fish and fishing.
We were treated to Egyptian culinary delights throughout the fishing trip, with Ali popping in and out of a small 1.1m x 1.8m space with trays of beautifully prepared food at regular intervals.I love seeing a person living in their passion, and Ali was clearly passionate about cooking (and fishing).We connected immediately.
When a “rat ’cuda”followed Brad all the way from St Lucia, South Africa, to the Red Sea and jumped onto his mackerel down-rigged with a 12-ounce, we all looked at each other and shared the same thought:It won’t weigh, so it’s dinner!
Ali didn’t hesitate to adapt his menu, and we were treated to a simple layered dish of boat galley oven potatoes, with finely chopped tomato, finely chopped hot red pepper (pips removed) and dill.
These layers steamed and fused together until the potatoes were “almost ready”,then they were topped off with a layer of ’cuda cutlets. The final step was to grill the dish for 20 minutes.
The method of cooking was simple, and all the ingredients complemented each other superbly.A one-pot-dish that suited the tiny boat galley kitchen it was cooked in while bouncing around on the Red Sea.
The special part of the dish was the spice – a fine balance is required with spicing fish; it’s an art actually.Ali was spot on – enough spice to complement the fresh fish, but not too much to overpower it.I can usually work out spices and food combinations, but this was subtle and delicate and not obvious at all.
We were all still licking our fingers when I asked Ali to come out of his kitchen and share the secrets of his dish –especially the spice on the fish.
With the assistance of Ibrahim, who translated a detailed 45-minute chat with Ali, here are the secrets of the spice Ali has personally mastered and which has probably been in his family for generations.
Other essential ingredients for the recipe (besides the list below),include potatoes, tomatoes, red pepper (hot), dill, a trip out to sea, a mackerel down-rigged with a 12-ounce, some Zululand “gees”, some team “gees”, a ’cuda converted (fresh fish), camaraderie and passion.
MAIN SPICE INGREDIENTS:
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
A handful of fresh coriander
A handful of fresh dill
1 2 teaspoon salt
1 lemon, chopped with peel
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
2-3 tablespoons of water (add slowly to achieve correct consistency)
METHOD:
•Place all the ingredients in a pestle and mortar and grind, adding water as you see fit to create a paste that you can smear onto the fish.
•When you have a jam-like consistency, smear a thin layer of the spice paste on both sides of the ’cuda cutlets and let the fish stand for 30 minutes.
•Place the spiced fish onto the “almost ready” steamed potato bake.
•Grill for 15-20 minutes, remove from the oven and let the dish stand for 15 minutes before serving.
The trick with all fish is to let it rest.While resting, the fish juices are drawn out and then they naturally filter through the layers of the potato bake and mix with the water in the bottom of the pan, producing a very tasty stock that soaks and flavours the rice (accompanying dish).
The other trick is not to turn the ’cuda cutlets while grilling.
This gives you two flavours on each cutlet – a grilled/burnt flavour on the top of the cutlet and a steamed, soft flavour on the bottom (the side resting on the layers of potatoes, tomato, red pepper and dill).
Ali served the layered fish bake with Egyptian rice and a simple cucumber, tomato and dill salad.
No utensils are needed, simply enjoy the meal with your fingers around a communal table, together with plenty of banter, stories and laughter, finished off with a sunset over the Red Sea and one of Ibrahim’s special espressos.
Shukrun (thank you) to the family on Sea School ! What a treat this trip was.
