Step aside, lemon and garlic, there’s a lot more on offer when it comes to South African seafood dishes.
Summer is stone fruit season, and if you haven’t considered it before, you will be surprised at how perfectly our homegrown plums, peaches and nectarines pair with our favourite fish and shellfish.
Of course, the pairing of seafood and stone fruit is rooted in South African culinary traditions – think peach chutney infused marinade for Cape Malay pickled fish. From the orchards to the sea, these perennial favourites work so well because they meet in the same place on the palate: bright, clean and lightly sweet. It’s a stunning pairing for the warm weather of late summer. Stone fruit and seafood come together in dishes that feel fresh, not heavy, and with flavours that are lightly layered rather than dense.
Juicy Delicious celebrates this balance of stone fruit with the salty, rich, and clean profiles of fish and shellfish in their Late-summer Stone Fruit and Seafood recipe collection:
Deep-Fried Calamari Tentacles with Plum, Chilli, Coriander & Mint Tartar-Style Mayo
Celebrity chef and culinary maestro, Jenny Morris highlights all the glories of in-season plums as the hero ingredient of this inspired tartar-style mayo layered with chilli, coriander, mint and spring onions. It’s a wow-factor, fresh and feisty accompaniment to crisp, golden calamari tentacles – but you can also use it to elevate prawns, fish fingers and chicken schnitzel.
Serves 4
For the Calamari Tentacles
Ingredients
- 1 kg calamari tentacles, cleaned and well dried
- ½ cup cake flour
- ¾ cup cornflour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp freshly ground white pepper
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Oil for deep frying
- Lemon wedges, to serve
Method
- Pat the calamari tentacles completely dry, this is the secret to crispness.
- In a bowl, mix the cake flour, cornflour, salt, smoked paprika, white pepper, ground coriander, garlic powder and lemon zest.
- Heat the oil to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Toss the tentacles lightly in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess.
- Fry in small batches for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden, curled and outrageously crisp.
- Drain on kitchen paper and season lightly with a touch more salt while hot.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges and the plum tartar sauce alongside.
Pile the calamari high on a platter, scatter with extra herbs and serve the sauce in a generous bowl.
For the Plum Style Mayo
Ingredients
- 1 cup good-quality mayonnaise
- 2 ripe fresh plums, stone removed and finely chopped
- 1 tsp honey or soft brown sugar (optional – only if plums aren’t sweet)
- 1 small red chilli, finely chopped (seeds optional)
- 2 Tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- 1 tsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar
- Sea salt, to taste
Method
- Finely chop the fresh plums – you want small, juicy pieces, not purée.
- Stir the plums into the mayonnaise until lightly marbled.
- Add the chilli, coriander, mint and spring onions.
- Add the lemon juice (or vinegar) and season gently with sea salt.
- Taste and adjust – a touch of honey if needed, a pinch more salt if it wants sharpening.
- Chill for 15 to 30 minutes to let everything mingle and flirt.
Tips
If your plums are very firm, soften them quickly in a pan with 1 tablespoon water for 2 minutes, then cool before chopping.
For extra depth, add ½ teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger.
This sauce is sensational with calamari, prawns, fish fingers, chicken schnitzel… and straight off the spoon (no judgement).
Fresh, feisty, and dangerously dippable.
Whole Baked Snoek with Peach and Rosemary Butter
With this recipe, Jenny Morris gives you a fresh take on a classic South African stone fruit and seafood pairing. Peaches are sautéed with onion, garlic, rosemary and a dash of lemon juice to create a sensational butter topping for the snoek that you will want to make part of your repertoire for life.
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 finely chopped red onion
- 6 cloves finely chopped garlic
- 3 large cling peaches grated
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 100g softened butter
- 1 whole butterflied snoek or yellowtail
Method
- Preheat oven to 180 ̊C.
- Get started with the peach butter.
- Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan and add the onion and garlic and saute’ together, until almost golden brown.
- Add the peaches, lemon juice and sugar and cook till the sugar dissolves.
- Stir in the rosemary and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Cook stirring for 3 minutes, remove from the heat.
- Cool the mixture down completely.
- Once the mixture has fully cooled stir in the butter.
- Place the fish onto a large oven tray and season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon the peach butter over the fish saving a little to paint over the fish once it is cooked.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until just cooked through.
- Rest the fish before serving with chunky, spiced potato wedges and a crunchy mixed salad.
Smoked Salmon & Peach Sushi Rice Balls Encrusted with Toasted Black Sesame Seeds
Jenny Morris chooses ripe peaches which are diced and folded with finely chopped smoked salmon, chives, and a touch of lime to create the thrilling centre for these bite-sized sushi rice balls. Rolled in toasted black and white sesame seeds, the fruit brings a gentle sweetness to the smoky salmon in a bright, summery combination that’s playful yet refined.
Serves: 12–14 bite-sized balls
Ingredients:
For the sushi rice
- 1 cup sushi rice
- 1¼ cups water
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
For the filling
- 150 grams smoked salmon or trout, finely chopped
- 1 ripe peach, peeled and diced into tiny cubes
- 1 tsp finely chopped chives
- 1 tsp lime juice
- ½ tsp honey (optional, for balance)
- Black pepper to taste
For the coating
- 3 Tbsp toasted black sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds (optional, for contrast)
For serving
- Pickled ginger
- Wasabi or a wasabi-mayo drizzle
- Microgreens or baby shiso leaves for garnish
Method
Cook the rice:
- Rinse sushi rice until the water runs clear.
- Combine rice and water in a pot, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 12 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes
Season the rice:
- Stir together vinegar, sugar, and salt.
- Gently fold into the warm rice with a wooden spoon. Spread on a tray to cool slightly, it should be sticky but not wet.
Prepare the filling:
- In a small bowl, mix chopped smoked salmon (or trout) with diced peach, chives, lime juice, and honey if using.
- Season lightly with black pepper. Keep chilled.
Assemble the rice balls
- With damp hands, scoop a heaped tablespoon of rice
- Make a small hollow, spoon in a little of the salmon-peach filling and close the rice around it to form a tight ball.
- Roll gently in the toasted sesame seeds until evenly coated.
- Arrange the rice balls on a chilled platter, drizzle lightly with wasabi mayo or serve it on the side.
- Garnish with microgreens or shiso leaves.
Tip:
Chill your hands with cold water before shaping the rice to prevent sticking.
Serve with chilled sake or a glass of dry rosé and let your guests guess the secret sweet note inside.
Crayfish Tails or King Prawns with Grilled Plums & Chilli Butter
Perfect for a candlelight and champagne dinner, Jenny Morris describes this dish as “decadent, spicy, and ready to impress”. It’s a romantic spoil with “sweet-fleshed crayfish meeting the sultry acidity of grilled plums, smoky, sticky, and just tart enough to make the butter blush”.
Serves 2
Pair with:
Chilled Champagne or sparkling rosé
A side of garlicky greens or buttered couscous, soft candlelight and a reason to linger….
Ingredients:
- 2 crayfish tails, halved lengthways
- 3 Tbsp butter, melted
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 2 ripe plums, halved and grilled until smoky
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
- Fresh herbs (parsley, dill, or microgreens) for garnish
Method
Mix your butter magic:
- In a small bowl, combine melted butter with chopped chilli, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Brush and grill: - Brush the crayfish generously with the chilli butter.
- Grill, flesh side down first, for 4–5 minutes or until the meat turns opaque and lightly charred at the edges.
Plum perfection: - Grill the halved plums, cut side down, until smoky and caramelised.
- Their sweet acidity works magically with the tender, sweet flesh of the crayfish, a perfect balance of land and sea.
Serve with a flourish:
Arrange crayfish and plums on warm plates. Drizzle with extra chilli butter.
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