Thyrsites atun
Encyclopedia
Thyrsites atun, the "snoek
" or "Cape snoek", is a long, thin, perch-like
commercial food fish belonging to the Gempylidae family. It is found in the seas of the Southern Hemisphere
. It is also known in Australasia
as barracouta though it is not related to the barracuda
.
It can grow up to 200 centimetres (78.7 in) long and weigh as much as 6 kilograms (13.2 lb). It is found near continental shelves or around islands and feeds on crustacean
s, cephalopod
s and small fish like anchovy
and pilchard. This species will form schools near the bottom or midwater; sometimes even near the surface at night. It prefers sea water temperature between 13 °C (55.4 °F) and 18 °C (64.4 °F).
It is found off the coast of Namibia and the coast of the Western Cape and Northern Cape
provinces of South Africa. It was originally called the "" by Dutch colonists who arrived in the Cape in 1652. It is said to have reminded them of the freshwater pike
(or ) they found at home in the Netherlands. The snoek is widely distributed in the colder waters in the Southern Hemisphere. It is found from Namibe
in Angola
to Mossel Bay
in South Africa, off Tristan da Cunha
in the mid southern Atlantic and off Western Australia, where it is call the barracouta, off Chile and Argentina (where it is called the ). Bluish-black on top with a silver belly, the snoek grows to over a metre in length.
. It is prepared most often by grilling
, frying
or smoking. It is oily, extremely bony (although the bones are large and easily removed from the cooked fish) and has very fine scales which are almost undetectable, making it unnecessary to scale the fish while cleaning. Snoek has a very distinctive taste. Though very popular in regions like South Africa
, it was not so popular to certain generations of British
residents during the Second World War due to it being considered a food item of deprivation. Canned Snoek was imported in large quantities into Great Britain
and government marketing of the product was not successful and may have had a negative effect. In South Africa, it is caught and eaten in the southwestern coastal parts of the country. It is traditionally served barbecued with boiled sweet potatoes.
Snoek
-People with the surname Snoek:*Hendrik Snoek - Belgian show jumper*Paul Snoek - Belgian poetSnoek or Snook is used in various forms as the common name for several species of fish...
" or "Cape snoek", is a long, thin, perch-like
Perciformes
The Perciformes, also called the Percomorphi or Acanthopteri, is one of the largest orders of vertebrates, containing about 40% of all bony fish. Perciformes means perch-like. They belong to the class of ray-finned fish and comprise over 7,000 species found in almost all aquatic environments...
commercial food fish belonging to the Gempylidae family. It is found in the seas of the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
. It is also known in Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
as barracouta though it is not related to the barracuda
Barracuda
The barracuda is a ray-finned fish known for its large size and fearsome appearance. Its body is long, fairly compressed, and covered with small, smooth scales. Some species could reach up to 1.8m in length and 30 cm in width...
.
It can grow up to 200 centimetres (78.7 in) long and weigh as much as 6 kilograms (13.2 lb). It is found near continental shelves or around islands and feeds on crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s, cephalopod
Cephalopod
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda . These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles modified from the primitive molluscan foot...
s and small fish like anchovy
Anchovy
Anchovies are a family of small, common salt-water forage fish. There are 144 species in 17 genera, found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Anchovies are usually classified as an oily fish.-Description:...
and pilchard. This species will form schools near the bottom or midwater; sometimes even near the surface at night. It prefers sea water temperature between 13 °C (55.4 °F) and 18 °C (64.4 °F).
It is found off the coast of Namibia and the coast of the Western Cape and Northern Cape
Northern Cape
The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of an international park shared with Botswana...
provinces of South Africa. It was originally called the "" by Dutch colonists who arrived in the Cape in 1652. It is said to have reminded them of the freshwater pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
(or ) they found at home in the Netherlands. The snoek is widely distributed in the colder waters in the Southern Hemisphere. It is found from Namibe
Namibe
Namibe is the capital city of Namibe Province in Angola. It is a coastal desert city located in southwestern Angola and was founded in 1840 by the Portuguese rulers of the territory. The city's current population is 132,900...
in Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
to Mossel Bay
Mossel Bay
Mossel Bay is a harbour town of about 130,000 people on the Southern Cape of South Africa. It is an important tourism and farming region of the Western Cape Province...
in South Africa, off Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha is a remote volcanic group of islands in the south Atlantic Ocean and the main island of that group. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying from the nearest land, South Africa, and from South America...
in the mid southern Atlantic and off Western Australia, where it is call the barracouta, off Chile and Argentina (where it is called the ). Bluish-black on top with a silver belly, the snoek grows to over a metre in length.
As food
It is sold fresh, smoked, canned and frozen. It can be cooked by frying, broiling, baking and it can also be microwaved. It is also made and eaten as fishcakes in regions such as JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It is prepared most often by grilling
Grilling
Grilling is a form of cooking that involves dry heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above or below.Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat quickly and meat that has already been cut into slices...
, frying
Frying
Frying is the cooking of food in oil or another fat, a technique that originated in ancient Egypt around 2500 BC. Chemically, oils and fats are the same, differing only in melting point, but the distinction is only made when needed. In commerce, many fats are called oils by custom, e.g...
or smoking. It is oily, extremely bony (although the bones are large and easily removed from the cooked fish) and has very fine scales which are almost undetectable, making it unnecessary to scale the fish while cleaning. Snoek has a very distinctive taste. Though very popular in regions like South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, it was not so popular to certain generations of British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
residents during the Second World War due to it being considered a food item of deprivation. Canned Snoek was imported in large quantities into Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and government marketing of the product was not successful and may have had a negative effect. In South Africa, it is caught and eaten in the southwestern coastal parts of the country. It is traditionally served barbecued with boiled sweet potatoes.