Seafood Delights of Cape Town

Stand back because a slap in the face with a wet fish is no fun - trust me, not to mention that your feet will soon be swimming in sea water and stray fish guts. The harbour is buzzing with lunchtime activity and the overfed seals bob about excitedly at the prospect of fishy scraps.

I took advice on what to buy for my supper from one of the traders named Muriel. Dressed in white apron and white wellies Muriel gave me some good tips (and told me a few fishy stories too). 'I'm Lady Di', she says holding up a long silvery snoek for my approval. 'I sit there at home eating me crayfish toppies like I was the Queen,' she adds. 'I've got a nice tongue and I like me red roman, yellowtail and elf. Now snoek I don't like so much, it's too unpredictable.' Having made that statement she put down the snoek and gave me a yellowtail.

Free From the Sea

March in the Cape is when the sea offers its bounty during a bizarre occurrence known as the 'Sardine Run'. Thousands of little harders, similar to sardines, swim into Hout Bay and wriggle around in the shallows. They sometimes come so close to the shore that you can wade around knee deep and collect them by the bucketful. Boney but small enough to eat whole, they are perfect thrown just as they are on the braai.

Black and white mussels too can be collected year round from many of the Cape's rocky Atlantic beaches. The daily allowance is 50 black mussels and 20 white mussels. To locate the hidden white mussels I was taught to perform a peculiar version of the twist in the shallow surf whilst digging around in the soft sand with my toes. Quite soon I hit upon something hard under my feet and as I leaned down to grasp at it an icy wave broke right over the top of me. Stumbling and splattering I emerged dripping and triumphantly holding my first white sand mussel.

Mussels can be absolutely delicious but to ensure they are safe to eat you should follow a few simple rules: Keep well clear of areas likely to be polluted. Collect at low tide from rocks which are submerged at high tide. Discard any mussels that remain shut once cooked. Check with the Department of Fisheries for toxic red tide. Red tide is a plankton upon which sea creatures feed but which contains fatal paralysing toxins. A quick check is all that is needed to put your mind at rest.