KEY POINTS:
This is how you catch a flounder: there is only one secret - you have to know where to go. Anyone can handle a net, but, like mushrooming and real estate, it's location, location, location. The other essential thing is a serious morning tea. On the occasion of my flounder outing recently, we set out in 4WDs at 8.30am sharp with dogs hanging out of the windows, scarves flying off sun hats and telling fishing stories, of which most of us had absolutely no experience.
We were on a journey, fishing for compliments or flounder, whichever came first. The skies were blue, the waves calm, the sand dunes Elysian and the gannets skidded over the waves like boy racers.
After an hour travelling along black sand, we arrived at a place I shall call the Horn of Plenty. (If I give you more detail, death will follow swiftly.)
The men fell out of the 4WDs and, with no preamble, admiration of the scenery, or "Did you girls have a comfortable ride?", dragged the net out, untangled it and waded in to the drink. Ian and Jimmy were dressed in their salty dog outfits - bare feet, knee-length trousers, shirts and caps.
I was dressed in my outfit of sunhat, lipstick, Marni frock, Robert Clergerie shoes and notebook. There must always be a recorder, otherwise who's to say if any sea was really plundered, any crabs, sea lions and sea biscuits were really thrown back, or any pirates didn't just come and steal our nets?
The women stood around in flamboyant hats, but we were highly qualified to provide supervision and advice - a psychologist, a singer, a photographer and a cook. Okay, so Moana helped Toby a bit, Gail might have dragged the flounder crate a few metres, and Lizzie did lie on the wet sand to get her shots.
A half tide is best if you want a good "drag" because this is when the fish are feeding. One person wades out holding the net by a pole. Another person stays on the beach holding on to the other end of the net by a pole. The water person does a wide, graceful swoop, keeping the net close to the bottom.
Gradually, he wends his way back to shore again and, together, he and his mate pull the net up, which has about a dozen flounder in it. The other men stand around congratulating themselves on a "good pull". We do this till we have the legal limit, drag the flapping crate back to the truck, comment on the azure skies and benevolent sunshine and fall ravenously on the tucker Kay has prepared - ham, egg and tomato sarnies.
On arrival at the hacienda, the men quietly set to, emptying and cleaning the flounder. I jump for joy, exclaiming, "Oh, goodie, fish for lunch".
They turn on me, "Are you mad, we're too full to eat bloody fish."
BARBECUED FLOUNDER WITH THAI SAUCE
Serves 6
1 tbsp Thai green curry paste
1 X 400ml tin coconut cream
zest and juice of one lime
2 kaffir lime leaves
5cm stick of lemongrass, smashed
1 tbsp Vietnamese fish sauce
6 flounder
Vegetable or rice bran oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 branches each of Vietnamese mint and lemon basil, chopped
1. Make the sauce by frying the curry paste for a minute in oil in a pot. Add coconut cream, lime juice and zest, lime leaves and lemongrass. Simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Heat the barbecue. Wash the fish and pat dry. Sprinkle generously with oil, salt and pepper on one side.
3. Place oily side down on the hot grill and cook for about four minutes, depending on the thickness. The worst thing you can do to flounder is overcook it. Sprinkle the top side generously with oil, salt and pepper and flip over. Cook for 4 minutes.
4. Reheat the sauce and stir in the fresh herbs. Serve the flounder whole with the sauce on the side.
- Detours, HoS