Eating More Fish Can Transform Your Health. These 3 Meals Are a Smart Way to Start

South African are eating more seafood than before. According to WWF South Africa, national seafood consumption climbed from an estimated 325 000 tonnes in 2022 to 350 000 tonnes in 2024. That’s encouraging, especially when the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa recommends eating fatty fish at least twice a week. These fish contain omega-3 fats, which can help reduce blood pressure and the risk of stroke.

But if your fish routine begins and ends with Friday-night hake or snoek on the braai, part of the problem may be boredom. Grilled, steamed or fried on repeat, fish can start to feel a little predictable.

For fresh inspiration, look to Egypt, where cooks in different regions turn seafood into far more than the protein on the plate. It becomes a powerfully delicious ingredient that makes the entire meal more exciting.

From Amazon

The cookbook Egypt: Recipes and Stories From an Ancient Land showcases just how versatile seafood can be. Here are three recipes from the book, each designed to help you rethink how you cook fish and develop a new appreciation for it.

Oven-Roasted Sardines

These smallish-fish are loaded with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, full of flavour and fast to cook. Crisp them in the oven at high heat and eat them like a snack. No, really. You’ll love them.

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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 12 sardines cleaned
• 60 ml olive oil
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• ½ tsp ground cumin

Method

 

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C.
2. Place the sardines on a baking tray and cover with olive oil. Sprinkle the salt and cumin evenly over the fish, then place the tray in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Turn the fish over and continue to cook for another 15 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool slightly, then dig in.

Notes

Serves 4, as a snack

Fisherman’s Soup

The deeply flavourful broth, reinforced with warming spices, bathes flaky fish until tender. All the vegetables provide an added nutritional benefit.

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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 750 g grouper or any firm white fish such as hake, kingklip or kob, scaled, cleaned and cut into 3 large pieces
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 onions peeled
• 4 garlic cloves peeled
• 1 small lemon quartered, plus extra to serve
• 2 celery stalks very roughly chopped
• A few sprigs of parsley plus extra to garnish
• A few sprigs of coriander plus extra to garnish
• 50 ml olive oil
• 3 potatoes peeled and diced
• 500 g fresh tomatoes roughly chopped
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Sea salt and ground black pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil to serve

Method

 

1. Fill a large pot with 1.5 litres of cold water and add the fish and spices. Quarter one of the onions and add it to the pot with two whole garlic cloves, the quartered lemon, chopped celery and sprigs of parsley and coriander. Add a pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the fish from the pot and set aside, then strain the broth into a bowl.
2. Chop the remaining onion and garlic and add them to a clean saucepan with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over a low to medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the onion has softened. Add the diced potatoes and tomatoes and cook for a further 3 to 4 minutes, until the tomatoes have softened. Pour half the broth into the pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer until the potatoes are tender and cooked through.
3. Using a handheld blender, blitz the vegetables and broth together into a smooth soup, adding more of the reserved cooking broth as needed. Carefully remove the skin and bones from the fish and flake it into chunks. Add the fish to the soup with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of cayenne. Serve in large bowls, garnished with the remaining parsley and coriander. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil before serving.

Notes

Serves 4

Buried Grouper

A massive mound of fragrant rice, studded with spices, nuts, fruit and chunks of meaty fish. It’s satisfying and really good for you.

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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 kg boneless grouper or any firm white fish such as hake, kingklip, kob, sea bass or cod, cut into large chunks
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• Ground cumin to taste
• 340 g short-grain rice
• A pinch of saffron
• 180 ml vegetable oil
• 2 onions grated
• 1 Tbsp ground turmeric
• 95 g cake flour
• Sea salt and ground black pepper
• 100 g raisins
• 115 ml vegetable oil
• 2 onions grated
• 100 g pine nuts
• 100 g blanched almonds sliced lengthways

Method

 

1. In a small bowl, mix the garlic with ground cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Use this mixture to season the fish on all sides and set aside.
2. Rinse the rice under cold running water and set aside to drain. Add a generous pinch of saffron to 475ml of freshly boiled water and leave it to infuse for a few minutes.
3. In a medium saucepan, heat 50ml of the oil over medium heat and fry the onions with the turmeric until golden brown. Add the drained rice and a generous pinch of salt. Stir the rice, then add the saffron water. Bring to the boil, lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook for about 20 minutes, until the rice is tender.
4. To make the khalta, soak the raisins in hot water for 30 minutes to plump them up. Drain and set aside. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the grated onions and cook until they soften and begin to colour. Add the raisins, pine nuts and almonds and stir continuously until the mixture is golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper to remove excess oil.
5. Meanwhile, coat each piece of fish with flour and shake off the excess. Using the same frying pan used to make the khalta, heat the remaining oil and fry the seasoned fish for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until cooked through and golden brown. Place the fish on kitchen paper to drain off the excess oil.
6. To assemble, use a medium-sized bowl as a mould. Place half the rice in the bottom of the bowl. Arrange the fried fish over the rice, then place the remaining rice on top. Press down gently with the back of a spoon. Invert the bowl onto a platter and turn out the rice mound. Spoon the khalta over the top and sides. Any remaining fish can be arranged around the rice. Serve immediately.

Notes

Serves 4 to 6

This article by Paul Kita originally published on Men’s Health US – additional reporting and products added by the Men’s Health SA team.