Best fish pilchard recipes in South Africa and insights from award-winning cookbook author

• Pilchard recipes will revolutionize your eating habits. This is for two reasons. One, Pilchard is a tasty meal, and two, it is rich in high-quality proteins, Omega-3 fatty acids.
• Award-winning cookbook author Neo Nontso shared with Briefly.co.za insights into the best ways to preserve the natural richness of pilchards while cooking.
• What makes it more interesting is the fact that it comes at a pocket-friendly price. So, let us have a look at the top 3 pilchard recipes.

Image: pixabay.com, instagram.com @sunitasfoodblog1975, facebook.com, @Children’s Health Queensland (modified by author) Source: UGC

There are different pilchard recipes, right from curry pilchard recipe to tinned fish cakes and pilchards and mash. All these come with a full dose of nutritional value right from the fish’s skin which is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids to its bones that have good amounts of calcium.

Tips from Chef

Award-winning cookbook author Neo Nontso shared with Briefly.co.za insights into the best ways to preserve the natural richness of pilchards while cooking:

Add the pilchards towards the end of cooking to keep the fish firm and chunky without it disappearing into the sauce. This way you can actually taste and bite into the fish while preserving the natural richness of the pilchards.

Depending on the choice of recipe and the meal you are preparing, pilchards will have you licking your fingers. Here are some of the best pilchards recipes that you should try.

1. Pilchard curry recipe

Image: instagram.com, @sunitasfoodblog1975 Source: Instagram

This is a Malaysian pilchard curry recipe that will make your guests happy. The recipe is quite straightforward, and the final taste is great. Follow the recipe and make the best pilchard curry ever.

Ingredients

• 1, 425 grams tin of pilchards in tomato sauce
• 1, 400 grams tin tomatoes
• 1 inch of ginger, peeled
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 2 fresh red chillies, deseed
• 1 large onion
• 2 tablespoons of Malaysian fish curry powder
• 2 chopped potatoes into bite-sized chunks
• A few squirts of frylight
• Salt

Method

1. Blitz the ginger, chillies, chopped onion, and garlic in a blender. Add a little water.
2. Put the pan onto the heat and add a few sprays of Fry-Light. Add the mixture from the blender onto the pan and stir for approximately 10 minutes.
3. Once the mixture has cooked, add a tin of tomatoes, curry powder, and salt. Cook the mixture for, approximately, 10 minutes. Ensure that you are using low heat for cooking.
4. Put the chopped potatoes into the mixture and add a tin of water. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes.
5. Once the potatoes have cooked, cut the pilchards into half their length and add them to the mixture. Here, you can choose to debone the pilchards or let them cook with the bones. The latter is preferred for those seeking an extra dose of calcium. Heat the final mixture for a few minutes into the boil.

Image: youtube.com, giphy.com (modified by author) Source: UGC

6. Remove the stew from the oven and serve with boiled rice.

This recipe is designed to serve four people. You can, however, break the rules and fill your belly with as much as you can. It is one of the easy-to-prepare pilchard recipes with curry.

2. Tinned fish cakes and Pilchards

Image: facebook.com, @Children’s Health Queensland Source: UGC

Are you a lover of tinned pilchard fish cake recipe? Then you must have tried the Luckystar tinned pilchard fish. This is one of the easiest-to-fix pilchards recipes. This recipe results in an outer crispy yet softer inside Pilchard. If this sounds like your favourite meal, then you are in luck. It takes thirty-five minutes to prepare this meal.

Ingredients

• 1 can tinned pilchards in tomato sauce
• 1 medium-sized onion 50 g flour
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1/2 a bunch of fresh Italian parsley
• 4 medium-sized potatoes
• 200 ml of oil
• 2 large eggs
• 50 grams of baby spinach/lettuce for serving

Method

1. Chop the parsley in no given order, and put it into a mixing bowl. Set it aside. Also, peel and cut potatoes into edible size; boil until cooked. Set it aside too.
2. Open the tin with the canned tomato sauced pilchard, and separate the pilchard from the tomato sauce. Do not discard the tomato sauce as it will be needed later.
3. Remove the inners and bones from the fish and divide it into edible chunks. Put it into a bowl.
4. Slice the onion into smaller pieces and add it into the mixing bowl.
5. Add pepper and salt to the bowl too.
6. Add the remaining ingredients, eggs, flour, and potatoes into the mixing bowl.
7. Gently mix all the ingredients in the bowl together to avoid mashing the potatoes.
8. Using your hands, roll the mixture into balls and put it into hot oil for approximately two minutes as you turn from time to time.

Image: youtube.com, giphy.com (modified by author) Source: UGC

9. Remove the balls from the oil and put them in paper towel to remove the excess oil.

Serve with the tomato sauce from before mixed with parsley chops as your dipping sauce. All these should be put on a bed of lettuce and baby spinach.

3. Cheesy pilchard and potato pie

Image: pixabay.com Source: UGC

This easy pilchard fish pie recipe is best served as a lunch bite. It contains all the right nutrients with a delicious taste. Here is a simple way to put it all together within the shortest time possible.

Ingredients

These ingredients come in two forms. One is for pastry while the other is for the filing.

Ingredients for the pastry

• 1 cup self-raising flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 150 g margarine (chilled)
• 2 eggs

Ingredients for the filling

• 1 tin pilchard
• 1 tin baked beans
• 1 onion
• 3 large potatoes (peeled and finely chopped)
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 tube chicken stock
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Quickly fry the onion in hot oil until it softens. Add potatoes into the pan and cook until it softens too. Once the potatoes are soft, add the baked beans, pilchard, and all the required seasoning. Stir the mixture well until it is thoroughly cooked. Then put it aside to cool.

Image: youtube.com, giphy.com (modified by author) Source: UGC

2. Mix flour and salt but in a food processor. You should, however, beat the mixture until it looks like bread crumbs. Add eggs into the mixture and continue beating it until it becomes dough. Once the dough is ready, remove it from the food processor and put it on a flour-dressed surface.

3. You then need to roll the dough and cut it into round shapes and apply beaten eggs on the edges of the shapes.

4. Scoop one full spoon of the pilchard filling and put it at the centre of the dough. Sprinkle the filling with grated cheese. Make sure the cheese has been spread properly. Seal it using the back of your fork.

5. Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg and put it in the oven using the baking tray. Set your oven to 180 degrees, and let the pie to cook until it turns golden brown.

Whether you are a fan of Lucky Star pilchards recipes or pilchards recipes with pasta, the nutritional content in pilchards and its natural test will have you enjoying your meal. Lucky star pilchards are particularly good, especially to those who are looking for healthy yet affordable pilchards to buy. The Lucky Star fish coupled with either one of the recipes above will create nothing short of a magnificent meal.

Pilchard recipes are indeed a good source of great nutritional content. Choose one of the three recipes above and make yourself a nice lunch or a tasty breakfast. Whatever you choose, you are assured of great taste and satisfaction.