Senegalese Thiéboudienne (National Fish and Broken Rice)
Sustainably sourced fresh fish fillet pan-seared with a crisp skin, served with garlic herb butter, seasonal vegetables, and lemon.
Ingredients
- • 1 large white grouper or sea bass (about 1.2kg), scaled and cut into thick steaks
- • 3 cups Senegalese broken jasmine rice (ceeb)
- • 1 cup fresh parsley, minced
- • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- • 1 scotch bonnet chilli, minced (for roof herb paste)
- • 1/2 cup red palm oil and vegetable oil blend
- • 2 large onions, finely chopped
- • 1 can (400g) tomato paste
- • 1 dried fermented fish piece (guedj) or yet (fermented sea snail)
- • 2 carrots, peeled and halved
- • 1 small cabbage wedge
- • 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chunked
- • 1 medium aubergine, halved
- • 6 fresh okra pods
- • 1 cup tamarind pulp soaked in warm water (beugueudj sauce)
- • 2 seasoning cubes
- • 1 tsp salt
Preparation Steps
Pound minced parsley, half the garlic, minced scotch bonnet, black pepper, and salt in a mortar into a vibrant green herb paste (rof); cut deep slits into the fish steaks and stuff the rof tightly inside.
Heat oil in a heavy Dutch oven; brown the stuffed fish steaks on both sides for 5 minutes, then carefully remove and set aside.
In the same pot, fry chopped onions and tomato paste with the fermented fish (guedj) for 10 minutes until deep crimson and oil separates; add 6 cups of water and bring to a boil.
Add carrots, sweet potato, aubergine, cabbage, okra, and seasoning cubes; return the fish, lower heat and simmer for 25 minutes until vegetables are tender; carefully remove fish and vegetables to a warm platter.
Wash broken rice until water is clear, steam over boiling stew in a couscoussier for 10 minutes, then stir directly into the rich red fish broth; cover tightly and cook on low heat for 25 minutes until rice is tender and bottom develops a crisp brown crust (xoon).
Mound the red rice onto a large communal platter, crown with the tender stuffed fish and colourful braised vegetables, and serve with tangy tamarind relish.