How We Gut Snoek in South Africa: A Step-By-Step Guide

Johnathan Muller is a very inquisitive Capetonian who takes an interest in everything around him. Follow his journey of lifelong learning

Bringing Home the Catch

Snoek is fished almost all year round, mainly off the southern and western coastline of South Africa. Traditionally, fishing is done by hand line and the fishing boats are mostly wooden-hulled as can be seen in the picture above.

Landing the Fish

As seen in the picture below, the Snoek is grabbed by the tail and flung from the boats onto the quay. This often damages the flesh of the fish. You may notice in some of the pictures the head of the fish is facing backward. This is because the neck of the Snoek was broken immediately after it landed on the boat.

Each boat may catch up to 200 snoek per day in good weather conditions.

After the Auction

The fish are usually sold in lots. After the auction, the buyer then typically loads the fish onto his Bakkie (pickup).

This fish will now be taken into a community and sold off to individual buyers.

Please refer to the video at the end of the article to get an idea of how fish is sold in the community.

Selling and Gutting

The fish is gutted on the back of the vehicle and is done in a very specific way. This is the most economical way to gut it. So let's start:

The First Cut

1. The best surface is, believe it or not, an old piece of carpet.
2. Lay the fish down, lengthwise, flat in front of you with the back facing you.
3. The first cut is almost like an exploratory one along the length of the back from tail to head and continuing through the head.
4. It is important to note that the cut is done along the upper part of the dorsal fin.

The Second Cut

This cut is a bit more aggressive.

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1. With a firmer grip on the handle make the second cut along the same line as the first.
2. This time cut a little deeper and above the spinal cord. You should now be severing the ribs from the spinal cord and this is the only thing that you're trying to achieve with this.

Exposing the Gut and Cleaning

1. Continue working your knife deeper into the flesh until you reach the point of the guts being exposed as per the picture below. Keep cutting in the same direction, always.
2. Take hold of the guts and cut them from the fish. You may want to keep the roe if you like, for eating later.
3. You may also remove the head if it will make the fish easier to clean and handle.

Cleaning the Guts Away

The picture below shows the guts being removed. No traces of blood should be left.

The Third Cut

Here is where you open the fish up along the spine. This is a very delicate cut.

1. This time, you start your cut from the head side of the fish.
2. Run the knife along the spine and take care not to cut through the back of the fish. You want the fish to be in one piece when you're done.

The Fourth and Final Cut

This last cut is done under the spine but preferably not too close to the bone as this part is a favorite to some people.

Once the fish has been gutted in this way, it is typically cut lengthwise down the center and then cut across to about the width of one's hand. This makes it just the right size for frying, smoking, or making salted fish.

How Snoek is Sold in the Suburbs of Cape Town