Yes: this Cape Malay stuffed linefish might take more time to prepare than a salad or two-minute noodles. But! We can assure you it’s going to taste a whole lot better. Cape Malay curry spice adds a flavourful punch. And, it’s packed with antioxidant-rich turmeric, cumin and nutmeg.
Fresh lemon juice, vinegar and pickled peas add to your gut health. Plus, there’s a healthy dose of omegas from the fish. And, for bonus feel-good points, we recommend serving this at the next family lunch to impress everyone with your skills.
About this recipe
As always, when eating seafood and fish, make sure you eat sustainable fish. Not sure? Check out the WWF SASSI list, which details which fish are fine to eat. Carpenter, a popular linefish, is green on the list.
This recipe calls for verjuice, but if you don’t have that on hand, you can make an alternative. All you’ll need is good-quality white wine vinegar and four tablespoons of sugar (or your sweetener of choice).
And, if you can’t get your hands on Cape Malay curry paste, you can substitute it for Thai yellow curry paste.
Cape Malay Stuffed Linefish
Indulge in this delectable Cape Malay stuffed linefish recipe from award-winning Chef Monché Muller’s book Harvest Table: A Culinary Journey Through The Wine Regions Of France, Italy, Spain And South Africa.

Cape Malay Seafood-stuffed Linefish with Pickled Pea Salsa
Ingredients
For the seafood stuffing
- 250 g Calamari steaks cubed
- 60 ml Olive oil
- 50 g Onion chopped
- 200 g Prawn meat chopped
- 2 Tbsp White wine
- 3 Tbsp Fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp Butter
- 20 g Sultanas chopped
- 60 ml Cream
- 80 ml Cape Malay curry paste
- 50 g Japanese panko breadcrumbs toasted
- 2-3 kg Firm white fish, butterflied traditionally, carpenter or hottentot
- Oil for brushing
For the pickled peas
- 250 ml Verjuice
- 125 ml White wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Black peppercorns
- 250 g Raw, fresh peas
For the salsa
- 100 g Jalapeños finely diced
- 100 g Red onion finely diced
- 10 g Coriander chopped
- 250 g Peas blanched and lightly crushed (not mashed)
- 2 Tbsp Verjuice
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil to taste
Instructions
- To make the seafood stuffing, boil the calamari for 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and allow to cool.
- Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion. Once translucent, add the calamari, prawn meat, wine, lemon juice, butter, sultanas, cream and curry paste. Simmer until the liquid has reduced slightly.
- Use a hand blender to pulse the mixture into a coarse paste, then stir in the breadcrumbs.
- Stuff the butterflied fish with the seafood stuffing, then truss using kitchen string. Fry in hot oil until the skin starts to crisp.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and place a tray large enough to hold the fish in the oven. Finish cooking the fish in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the flesh is white and flaky.
- To make the pickled peas, place the verjuice, vinegar, sugar and peppercorns in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour the hot liquid over the raw peas. Allow to cool, then drain the peas before using.
- To make the salsa, combine the jalapeños, red onion, coriander, crushed peas, pickled peas, verjuice and olive oil, and season to taste.
- Serve the salsa with the fish.
Notes
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