What are biltong and bokkoms?

What are biltong and bokkoms?

Bokkoms (or Bokkems) is whole, salted and dried mullet (more specifically the Southern mullet, Chelon richardsonii, a type of fish commonly known in the Western Cape of South Africa as “harders”), and is a well-known delicacy from the West Coast region of South Africa. It is sometimes referred to as “fish biltong”.

How to dry bokkoms?

Dust off any excess salt from the mullet and hang up in a well ventilated area to dry. The length of time for the drying process will depend on your location, on average it should take 2ā€“3 weeks. The bokkoms will be very dry to the touch and have a distinctive salty smell when ready.

How do you eat bokkoms?

How to eat bokkoms. Bokkoms velddrif is a unique, traditional delicacy of the West Coast of South Africa. It is best enjoyed with white wine, bread, apricot jam, or black coffee, but it can also be used in soups, pasta, tapenades, ragout, or just as a bite on its own.

What are Haarders?

The haarder is an elongate fish with a pointed snout. Though it rarely takes a bait, the haarder is traditionally of great importance to commercial seine and gill net operators along the Cape coast. Some 5ā€“6 million can be caught in anyone year, especially off beaches at Cape Agulhas, Strandfontein and St Helena Bay.

What types of biltong are there?

“Wet”, “medium” and “dry” are the three types of biltong on sale: it ranges from the soft wet version to one that is harder and drier.

Is dried Snoek healthy?

“Cape snoek is often seen as a low-value fish, but it is in fact a healthy, relatively cheap high-protein, low fat food source that is high in ‘good’ omega-3 fatty acids,” Henning summarises the findings. “Snoek is therefore an important and healthy source of protein,” adds Hoffman.

What fish is a Bokkom?

southern mullet
The name most South Africans will recognise the southern mullet by is “bokkoms”, which also refers to the dried and salted fish which is a common snack, regularly spotted hanging from fences in West Coast fishing communities. This “fish biltong” is made by hanging the whole fish, well-salted, in the sun to dry.

How do you make fish harder?

Season the marinade with salt and pepper and allow to stand. Grill the harders whole over medium coals for about 3 minutes a side. Halve the second lemon and place flesh side-down on the grid to grill. When the skin of the fish is blackened, they are done.

Is Mullet a sea fish?

The flathead grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) is an important food fish species in the mullet family Mugilidae. It is found in coastal tropical and subtropical waters worldwide. Its length is typically 30 to 75 centimetres (12 to 30 in)….

Flathead grey mullet
Family: Mugilidae
Genus: Mugil
Species: M. cephalus
Binomial name

Where do you find mullet fish?

Mullets number fewer than 100 species and are found throughout tropical and temperate regions. They generally inhabit salt water or brackish water and frequent shallow, inshore areas, commonly grubbing about in the sand or mud for microscopic plants, small animals, and other food.

What’s the best way to make bokkoms at home?

1. Place half the salt in a glass dish. Top with the mullet and cover with the remaining salt. Make sure the fish is well-covered in the salt. Cover and chill for 3 days. Once the curing process is complete, the drying process will begin. 2. Dust off any excess salt from the mullet and hang up in a well ventilated area to dry.

Where do bokkoms come from in South Africa?

Bokkoms is a delicacy typical to the Western Cape of South Africa, and specifically the West Coast.

What kind of fish do you use to make bokkoms?

The ingredients for bokkoms consists of small (juvenile) mullet (fish), coarse salt and fresh water. The original West Coast way of preparing bokkoms starts with catching the small (juvenile) mullets (called “harders” in Afrikaans).

How does a bokkom get out of the tank?

After the third day in the tank, the fish is taken out and is then stringed up in bunches of 10 to 25 fish each on a rope, making use of a fish needle which is pushed through the eyes of the fish. The bunches are then dipped 2 to 3 times in fresh water, before it is hung on scaffolds to dry.