Olive & Co Tattoo: The Skinny Chef Gets Inked This Festive Season

Hey Skinny Chef Readers, welcome back to another epic blog!

What’s a festive season without a little fresh ink and a whole lot of fresh flavour?

Skinnies, 2025 has been a massive year for self-expression in Mzansi, and as we wrap up the year, Shadre surprised me with an early Christmas gift: a session at the incredible Olive & Co. Tattoo Studio.

South Africa’s 2025 Tattoo Revolution ( Featuring Olive & CO.)

Tattoo culture in South Africa has officially reached high-art status this year. We’re no longer seeing just “standard” pieces 2025 is the year of hyper-realism and 3D artistry. Walking through Jozi, you’ll spot everything from Sticker Sleeves that curated, patchwork aesthetic loved by Gen Z—to the bold, futuristic lines of Cybersigilism.

At the heart of this movement is Olive & Co. in Blairgowrie, Randburg. This chic, women-owned studio is a creative sanctuary where artistry meets high-end precision.

Whether you’re after a delicate fine-line botanical or a transformative cover-up, the vibe is as warm and welcoming as a family dinner making it the perfect place for The Skinny Chef to add some permanent festive cheer.

Festive Feasting: Skinny Chef Diaries

While I’m nursing my new ink, my mind is already at the Christmas table. If you’ve been following my latest book, Skinny Chef Diaries, you know I’m all about dishes that look like a million bucks while keeping you feeling lean, light, and energized.

This festive season, the star of my table is Whole Baked Kabeljou with Sicilian Caponata a true showstopper that brings Mediterranean summer vibes straight to the South African coast.

Whole Baked Kabeljou, with Sicilian Caponata

Why this dish is a winner:

• The Hero Ingredient: Olives! Just like my favourite studio, olives take centre stage in this Sicilian caponata. They deliver that salty, umami punch that perfectly balances the sweetness of raisins and the tang of balsamic vinegar.

  
  

• Fresh & Light Baking the kabeljou whole locks in incredible moisture without relying on heavy fats or creams.

  
  

• Festive Flair The vibrant colours of the caponata purple aubergine, red tomatoes, and green olives look like Christmas served on a plate.

This dish is definitely one of my top 10 dishes that I love to cook. The fresh whole white fish, kabeljou, is rich in nutrients, omega-3 fatty acids and protein. Red peppers are rich in vitamin B6 and folate, which both play an important role in the prevention of anaemia. Courgettes are full of pectin, vitamin C and beta-carotene, which assist in eye health and lowering cholesterol. Courgettes will also assist with weight loss, as they have a high water content and are therefore low in calories.

Kabeljou

Ingredients

• 800g – 1.2kg whole white fish, ideally kabeljou

• 2 whole garlic cloves

• 1 sprig fresh rosemary

• 1 sprig fresh thyme

• 1 sprig fresh dill

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Serves 4 – 6🍽

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Method, Season whole kabeljou (gutted and scaled) with salt and pepper, place on a baking tray.

   
   

2. Fill gut with fresh aromatics (that is the garlic and fresh herbs). Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 45 minutes to an hour.

   
   

3. Once fish is cooked, one is able to pull out the back middle bone with ease. Serve with caponata, recipe below:

Caponata

• 1kg large aubergines (eggplant), cubed

• 1 white onion, finely sliced

• 300g celery, roughly cubed

• 200g green pitted olives

• 150g roasted red bell peppers, skin removed

• 50g toasted pine nuts

• 150ml tomato passata (blended tinned tomatoes)

• 100g capers • 150ml olive oil

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 60ml white wine vinegar

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• Salt and pepper to taste

Serves 6 🍽

Method

1. First prepare all the ingredients. Cut the eggplant into small cubes and place them in a colander. Sprinkle a handful of coarse salt over the eggplant and let it stand for about 1 hour. This will allow the eggplant to release water, removing its slightly bitter taste.

   
   

2. Cut the celery into cubes and put it into a saucepan of boiling water with a little salt and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

   
   

3. De-salt the capers. I am sure that you have chosen excellent quality capers. Wash them to remove the salt in plenty of cold water, dry and set aside. Toast the pine nuts for a few minutes in a pan.

   
   

4. Meanwhile, make the sweet and sour sauce: in a bowl mix vinegar with sugar. Set both aside.

   
   

5. Now it’s time to cook the cubed eggplants. Rinse them with plenty of cold water. Then dry using a kitchen towel.

   
   

6. Put the 150ml olive oil in a high-rim frying pan and heat it, then add a few eggplant cubes at a time and fry them for a few minutes. Once browned, drain with a slotted spoon and lay them on a tray lined with absorbent paper to remove excess oil, then set aside.

   
   

7. Now that the ingredients are all ready, we can start cooking the Sicilian capo nata. Pour a generous amount of olive oil into a large saucepan, heat it and then add the onion. Sauté until the onion is soft and golden, then add the celery.

   
   

8. Stir and cook for a few minutes then add capers and olives. Now add pine nuts and tomato passata.

   
   

9. Stir, cover with the lid and cook over low heat for 20 minutes. After this time, add a pinch of salt (if necessary) then add the sweet-sour sauce. Increase the heat and stir until the vinegar scent has evaporated (about 2 to 3 minutes)

   
   

10. Turn off the heat, add the fried eggplants, and roasted pepper. Mix everything well. Sicilian caponata is ready! Now place the caponata in a baking dish and let it cool at room temperature or put it in the fridge.The peculiarity of caponata is that it must be served cold. Even better if cooked the day before and eaten the next day!

    
    

Skinny Chef Hack:Serve it on a bed of herbed cauliflower rice or a light quinoa salad to keep it Skinny Reader-approved while still indulging in those big, bold Sicilian flavours.

The Final Ink

Say hi to Olive before you go Skinnies !

Ready to get inked or get cooking? Head over to the Olive & Co. website to book your tattoo session, and grab your copy of Skinny Chef Diaries to master this kabeljou showstopper for Christmas.

Interested in Food that heals the soul , mind and body ?Then Grab a yourself copy of The Skinny Chef Diaries

In March 2020, during the first wave of the Covid -19 epidemic, Roderick Chikapa-Phiri armed himself with a pen and a camera and took up a new mission. He aimed to recreate the classical dishes he loved, but with a focus on health and wellness.

Learn More

Thanks for tuning in. Stay blessed, stay happy, and most importantly—stay skinny.Same time, same place!

Creative Director: Shadre Leonard