Kumbatia San

Growing up, our holidays usually meant trips to the beach – a simple way for my mom to entertain two teenage daughters from Gauteng. And the food was always the highlight. She’d braai snoek, make a spicy prawn curry, or whip up fresh seafood straight from the market. Seafood wasn’t occasional; it was expected – fresh, bold, and spicy. Most meals came with salads or vegetables, sometimes rice, because fish was “diet food” in the land of protein. Someone on TikTok joked that South Africa is the protein capital of the world and honestly, if I were told to go vegan or vegetarian, I’d probably sink into a deep, chef-y depression.

Even inland, in Gauteng, seafood culture was alive. We’d frequent popular fish spots where crustaceans waited in tanks – fresh prawns, lobsters, and grilled fish – giving a little taste of the coast in the highveld.

Back to my days at sea: we were on the Italy-to-France leg, cooking for a Mozambican gentleman who wanted seafood every day BUT only Mediterranean-style. He wanted Italy or France on a plate, I get it but I wanted to give him a taste of home, a little nod to the flavours we both grew up with. Seafood is spice, citrus, and garlic!  That’s what it should taste like.

I spiced fresh prawns with a Clean Orange-Chili Prawn Marinade, paired them with a crisp salad and chargrilled sweet corn vinaigrette, and served it as

‘Mozambican Spiced Prawns and Radish Salad.’

It wasn’t a European Portuguese staple, but the guests loved it – he even told them, “You’ll want seconds”.

Clean Orange-Chili Prawn Marinade Recipe

Ingredients:

• 50g Canola Oil

• 50g Unsalted Butter

•  15g Mild Chili Flakes

• 2 Whole Garlic Cloves, smashed

• 2 tbsp Orange Juice

Method:

1. Infuse: Heat oil with chili and garlic on low-medium until fragrant (~3-4 minutes).
2. Melt: Stir in butter to combine, lowering the heat.
3. Strain: Remove solids for a clean, flavored fat.
4. Emulsify: Whisk in orange juice to bind into a smooth, citrus-gold marinade.
5. Marinate & Grill: Toss prawns in the marinade 15 minutes, then grill 2 minutes per side. Optional: add orange zest for extra aroma.

Simple, bold, and fresh – just how seafood should be. This dish is exactly what I’d want if I were back at the beach: spicy prawns, sweet chargrilled corn, and crisp salad. A little memory, a little indulgence, and a lot of flavour.