Outside on the deck in a summer shirt admiring the stars and Venus and Jupiter which are getting closer and closer, asterismically speaking. Another wonderful winter's day with bright sunshine, warm wind and smooth seas for the little skiboats catching snoek (a type of barracuda). A few thunderclouds gathered earlier but have dissipated - if there is any rain, it will arrive in the night.
I was given a snoek on Sunday - not my favourite fish, and particularly when it is presented whole and uncleaned as the sun is going down - but He Who Can Fix Anything had to step into the breach as I am not proficient in 'vlekking' a snoek (a way of butterflying the fish). It was then consigned to the fridge, and the roe and livers quickly fried in butter and eaten on toast. (Not for me!)
The fish weighed about 5 kilos so had plenty of meat, but I only enjoy smoked snoek and that is a real mission to prepare, so I decided to make fish cakes - a cunning way to deal with a rather tough fish, as I blitzed it in the food processor with all the requisite goodies to make it tasty. The resultant twenty-five large fish cakes were then shallow-fried to a golden perfection and have been steadily diminishing over the last two days. It's quite difficult to eat so many without having to freeze them, and they are packed with protein and very little potato, so a solid meal can be had with just two. A hot sweet chilli sauce is perfect for spreading on them and giving them a bit of kick.
To compare them with a commercial fish cake is to realise how little fish they actually use, and homemade is completely foolproof - you cannot make a failed fish cake. It's just very time-consuming, but definitely worth it!
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