Cape surfer, John Grundlingh, digs to braai. He is good at it too, and for the second time in a row has qualified for the Ultimate Braai Master, SA’s toughest outdoor cooking competition.
John in J-Bay, indulging in his other biggest passion.
“I’ve made it to the Ultimate Braai Master for the second year straight and would appreciate the support of my fellow surfers,” John told Zag. “Last year we were the Weskus Braaiers and this year I’ve teamed up with Piet Marais and we are taking part as Weskus Annas.”
Last year John and teammate Jules Mori – aka the Weskus Braaiers but commonly referred to as ‘the surfer-chefs from Cape Town’ – made their mark with a signature surf-inspired ‘Mussels in Kelp’ dish.
John (right) and Jules were stoked to take part in last season’s Ultimate Braai Master.
We asked John to share his recipe with us. So if you’re planning a surf trip up the coast anytime soon, here is how you can dip into Mother Nature’s pantry and make a world class meal of your own, using the combination of naturally-occurring kelp and mussels.
INGREDIENTS:
1. Freshly cut kelp head
2. 1kg of cleaned mussels
3. 3 x garlic cloves
4. 2 x lemons
5. 1 x handful of coriander
6. 1m tinfoil
7. Half a red chilli de-pitted
Foodies flocked for John’s recipe at this year’s Cape Gateway show.
METHOD:
Cut a kelp head off at least 700 mm from the head, removing all kelp leaves from the head. Cut lemons into quarters. Cut garlic cloves in half and crush them. Start pushing 8 x mussels into kelp stem opening, then add a quarter lemon and half a crushed garlic clove. Repeat this again with another 8 x mussels and lemon and garlic until head is full. Make a plug with tinfoil and press into opening to keep in juices. Put directly onto coals for 15 minutes per side, 30 minutes in total.
Place on a serving table and cut open over length of kelp. Add chopped up coriander and sprinkle over mussels. Eat and enjoy directly out of kelp head. You will never have mussels any other way!
A closer view of the final product. Not bad for a couple of surfer chefs from Cape Town.
Keep up with the adventures of the Weskus Annas by watching the Ultimate Braai Master, which is currently airing every Tuesday evening at 8:00pm on the Travel Channel (channel 179 on DSTV), and will be showing on E-TV from 20 September later this year. To show your support further, you can also find the Weskus Annas on Facebook and like their page.
lekker Horrogs!