Senegalese Fish Stew

THIEBOU DIEUNNE

SENEGAL

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One of Senegal’s quintessential dishes, this fish stew is served at least once a week at gatherings. It can be considered the Senegalese rice version of the Moroccan seven-vegetable couscous that is a fixture of Friday lunch throughout Morocco. It is a tasty, slightly spicy dish and makes for a very satisfying one-pot meal. I suggest making it with four individual fish, although many Senegalese will make it with fish steaks, pushing the marinade (rof; see Note) into slits made in them. Using fish steaks makes for easier eating, while using whole fish makes for a prettier presentation. Either way, it is a lovely dish and a delightful, unusual way to prepare fish.

SERVES 4

FOR THE ROF

2 cloves garlic, peeled

¾ bunch flat-leaf parsley (about 5 ounces/150 g), bottom stems discarded

1 small onion (3½ ounces/100 g), quartered

1½ teaspoons Aleppo pepper

Finely ground black pepper

FOR THE FISH

4 whole grouper or sea bream (about 9 ounces/250 g each), scaled and gutted

Sea salt

FOR THE SAUCE

¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil

1 medium onion (5 ounces/150 g), finely chopped

1 small green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

1 cup (200 g) tomato paste

2 medium tomatoes (7 ounces/200 g total), processed into a puree

Sea salt

1 whole Scotch bonnet pepper

2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce

Finely ground black pepper

TO FINISH

2 medium wedges green cabbage

2 small turnips, peeled and quartered

4 Japanese eggplants (7 ounces/200 g total), halved lengthwise

½ butternut squash, peeled and cut into medium chunks

1 small yuca (cassava) root, about 3 inches (7.5 cm) long, peeled and cut into chunks

1 large carrot, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into chunks

Salt and finely ground black pepper

3½ ounces (100 g) okra, trimmed

1 teaspoon seedless tamarind paste

1 cup (200 g) bomba rice, rinsed and soaked for 30 minutes in lightly salted water

2 limes, cut into wedges

1. To make the rof: In Senegal, rof is made in a mortar and pestle, but it’s easier and quicker to use a food processor. Put all the ingredients for the rof in a food processor and pulse a few times until you have a coarsely chopped mixture.

2. To prepare the fish: Pat the fish dry inside and out with paper towels, then lightly rub them with salt, again inside and out. Make 2 diagonal slits on one side of each fish and place a little rof in the slits. Put the fish on a large platter and spread the remaining rof over them. Let marinate while you prepare the sauce.

3. To make the sauce: Heat the vegetable oil in a large deep sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, tomato paste, and pureed tomatoes and stir for a minute or so, then reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring regularly, for about 15 minutes, or until the onion and pepper have softened and the tomato sauce has changed color.

4. Add 2½ cups (625 ml) water and salt to taste and mix well. Increase the heat to medium-low and let the sauce bubble gently for about 30 minutes, until you see a little oil rising to the surface.

5. Stir in the Scotch bonnet, fish sauce, and black pepper to taste, then slip the fish into the sauce and let simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the fish is done to your liking. Carefully remove the fish to a platter and keep warm.

6. To finish: Add the cabbage, turnips, eggplants, squash, yuca, and carrot to the sauté pan and season with salt and more pepper to taste. Bring back to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let simmer, covered for 15 minutes. Add the okra and tamarind paste and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until all the vegetables are firm-tender.

7. With a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to a platter. Spoon a little of the sauce over the vegetables, also over the fish. Keep both warm in a low oven or by covering them with foil while you cook the rice.

8. Return the sauce in the sauté pan to medium heat. Drain the rice and stir into the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer the rice for 10 minutes, or until it has absorbed all the sauce and is tender.

9. Transfer the rice to a large serving platter. Lay the fish in the middle and arrange the vegetables all over the rice. Serve hot with the lime wedges.