Snoek braai with apricot jam

A common way to cook snoek is whole and butterflied, in a hinged grid over medium coals, brushed as it cooks with a glaze of apricot jam and butter, often with garlic and sometimes with lemon or orange juice. It is served with bread. Snoek is a long, bony, oily fish caught off the Western Cape, and WWF-SASSI lists line-caught South African snoek as green, a best choice, citing a stock assessment that found it optimally fished.

A 2013 study of the snoek trade in Ocean View describes it as mainly a winter fish, at its best from May to August, although it is sold all year and catches vary from year to year. The study found it an important and affordable source of protein for many working families in the Western Cape, eaten fresh, salted and dried, smoked or cooked into stews.