Kalk Bay fish seller hooked on life and people
Last month, False Bay Echo introduced a new monthly column, Community Chronicles, which will spotlight everyday members of the community who make a positive impact in their own unique way.
These are the people who quietly contribute to the fabric of our community, often through social media or simple acts of kindness and community involvement, helping to create a supportive environment and build community cohesion.
In this month’s feature, we introduce Farieda Isaacs, a familiar face at Kalk Bay Harbour and the third generation in her family to keep the age-old tradition of cleaning and cutting fish alive. She shares her passion for the craft, her (somewhat ironic) fear of live fish, and her belief that pineapple definitely belongs on pizza.
Q: Where are you from?
A: I was born in Retreat and I live in Valhalla Park.
Q: How did you become a fish seller?
A: My mommy was a fish cleaner. I used to come in the school holidays to help her wash the fish. Then later I started helping her to clean the fish and that is how I got involved in the trade of cleaning fish. I then started as a walker, selling fish, so I went from cleaning and washing fish to selling fish.
Q: What is unique about your job?
A: Not everyone can clean and cut a fish. It is a skill. You must have a passion for what you do otherwise you won’t do it properly. There are different ways to cut fish. There is filleting, cut and scale, and butterfly. And there are different ways to butterfly a fish. You can butterfly it from the stomach, from the back and you can also butterfly it with the bone in.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Talking to people. I have difficult customers who come to me with a frown on their face, and all I do is make a simple joke and they leave here with a smile on their face. You must be a people’s person to do this work. You can’t be good at your job when you are unhappy. You must leave your problems at home.
Q: Tell us something personal about yourself
A: I’m brutally honest and I believe that honesty in life is the best policy.
Q: What is the most frequent question you get asked daily?
A: What types of spices to use on fish for a braai? Different fish need different spices and you can’t put the same spices on all fish. Every fish has a different taste and some only require a bit of salt and pepper.
Q: What is the best way to cook a snoek?
A: The locals like it with some apricot jam, but there are many ways. I like my snoek fried with a bit of salt and pepper because it brings out the taste. But you can do anything. If you don’t have anything you can use Lappies braai sauce and if you want a bietjie skop (a bit of a kick) you can add some chilli. I also like to make a snoek pizza.
Place your whole snoek on a piece of foil on the grid and baste it with some garlic butter, and spice with lemon pepper. Place red, green, and yellow peppers on top with chopped red onion. Cover it in foil and cook it. Open the foil and place some pineapple pieces on top and cook for another five minutes. And there you have it, a snoek pizza.
Q: Tell me about your best/worst day at work
A: The worst day was when I cut a snoek, which was still alive. Live fish scare me. When I got to its head it was still kicking and I screamed and left the knife there and ran away. My children always scare me with live fish. I make sure they are dead before I even touch them.
