The fisher kings of Bokkomlaan
HOW BOKKOMS ARE MADE
Harders are caught using nets and delivered to Bokkomlaan in crates. The small fish are weighed and sorted according to size – the perfect bokkom size is around 30 cm.
The harders are rinsed in fresh water and then placed in a container with salted water for two to three days. A needle is used to thread twine through the eyes and they’re strung together in bundles of 10. Then they’re rinsed in fresh water again and hung outside to dry, before being moved inside, where they’ll carry on drying for four days or up to two weeks, depending on the season.
The Berg River opens up into a wide floodplain where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean at Velddrif. The late-afternoon sun reflects pink on the smooth surface of the water. Candyfloss clouds hang .
I’m next to a jetty in Bokkomlaan, a dirt road on the northern bank of the river, and the shops have already closed for the day. In the distance, two fishermen cast their lines below the Carinus Bridge. Closer to me, flamingos and great white pelicans forage on the salty marshland, while gulls investigate empty porches and boats bobbing on their moorings.
Despite the fact that I grew up on the West Coast – only 25km away in nearby Vredenburg – I’ve never eaten a bokkom. This dried, salted fish with a pungent smell is a West Coast delicacy, and the time has finally come to try one.
What better place to do so than in Velddrif, the bokkom capital of South Africa? Bokkomlaan (Bokkom Lane) is the biggest tourist attraction in town. For more
