Thieboudienne

Thieboudienne (Senegalese Fish and Rice)

The national dish of Senegal: whole stuffed fish and vegetables simmered in a herb-rich tomato sauce, with broken rice cooked directly in the deeply coloured broth. It is traditionally served as a communal one-pot feast, fish and vegetables arranged over the rice.

Prep

30 min

Cook

75 min

Total

105 min

Serves

6

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •1.2 kg (2½ lb) whole white fish (grouper, snapper, or sea bass), gutted and scaled, heads on if possible; two medium fish are ideal
• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) broken jasmine or broken Thai rice, broken rice is traditional; if unavailable, use regular jasmine rice and reduce liquid slightly
• •60 ml (¼ cup) red palm oil (or vegetable oil), palm oil gives the signature deep orange-red colour; substitute vegetable oil plus ¼ tsp paprika if needed
• •2 medium onions, one sliced, one chopped
• •4 cloves garlic, minced
• •30 g (1 oz) fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• •400 g (14 oz) ripe tomatoes, about 3 medium, blended to a pulp, or 1 can (400 g) crushed tomatoes
• •3 tbsp tomato paste
• •2 tbsp tamarind paste, strained through a small sieve; or 30 g (1 oz) tamarind pulp soaked in 100 ml hot water
• •1 L (4 cups) hot water or fish stock, plus extra as needed
• •1 whole Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, left whole for mild heat, or pierced for spicier
• •1 small bunch fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• •1 small bunch fresh cilantro (coriander leaves), roughly chopped
• •1 tbsp dried thyme, or 1 small bunch fresh thyme
• •1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• •2 tsp salt, plus extra to taste, divided
• •1 bay leaf bay leaf
• •400 g (14 oz) cassava, peeled and cut into 5 cm (2 in) batons; MUST be cooked through - raw cassava contains naturally occurring cyanogenic glycosides that are destroyed by thorough cooking
• •300 g (10½ oz) carrots, peeled and cut into 5 cm lengths
• •200 g (7 oz) cabbage, cut into 4 wedges
• •200 g (7 oz) okra, whole or halved lengthwise
• •200 g (7 oz) eggplant (aubergine), cut into thick rounds
• •150 g (5 oz) whole peeled tomatoes (canned), optional, for adding to the rice layer
• •1 lemon lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Steps

1. 1 PREPARE THE FISH: Rinse the fish well and pat dry. Make three shallow diagonal slashes on each side. Season generously inside and out with about 1 tsp salt and the black pepper. Stuff the cavity with half the parsley, half the cilantro, the thyme, and the sliced onion. Set the stuffed fish on a plate in the refrigerator while you build the sauce; raw fish does not sit at room temperature.
2. 2 BUILD THE SAUCE BASE: In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven (at least 6 L / 6 qt), heat the palm oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, stirring so they do not burn.
3. 3 Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes to deepen the flavour. Add the blended fresh tomatoes (or canned crushed tomatoes) and cook, stirring, for 8-10 minutes until the sauce thickens and the oil begins to separate at the edges.
4. 4 WHITEN THE SAUCE: Add 250 ml (1 cup) of the hot water or fish stock and stir, scraping the bottom of the pot. The sauce will turn paler - this is the traditional 'whitening' step that mellows the tomato.
5. 5 STRAIN THE TAMARIND: Push the tamarind paste through a fine sieve into the pot, adding a little hot water to help it through. Discard the solids. Add the remaining parsley, cilantro, the bay leaf, and the whole Scotch bonnet (do not cut it unless you want more heat). Season with the remaining salt.
6. 6 POACH THE FISH: Lay the stuffed fish gently into the simmering sauce. Spoon some sauce over the top. Cover and simmer gently for 12-15 minutes, carefully turning once halfway through, until the fish is just cooked through - the flesh should flake easily when tested at the thickest part and reach an internal temperature of 63 C / 145 F measured at the backbone. Carefully lift the fish out onto a plate and cover to keep warm.
7. 7 COOK THE VEGETABLES: To the remaining sauce, add the cassava batons first (they take longest) along with a little extra hot water if the sauce looks dry - you should have roughly 1 L / 4 cups of liquid total. Simmer the cassava for a full 20 minutes before anything else goes in. Raw or partly cooked cassava is genuinely dangerous: it contains naturally occurring cyanogenic compounds that are destroyed only by thorough cooking, so it needs the longer head start. Then add the carrots and cabbage wedges. Cook for 8 minutes more, then add the okra and eggplant. Continue simmering for another 8-10 minutes, until the cassava is completely tender when pierced with a knife and crumbles slightly at the centre, with no firm core and no resistance. If any piece still feels hard, keep simmering and test again; undercooked cassava should never be served.
8. 8 COOK THE RICE: While the vegetables finish, rinse the broken rice in several changes of water until the water runs nearly clear. Strain. Remove the cooked vegetables from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside with the fish. Taste the remaining sauce - it should be well seasoned and pleasantly tangy.
9. 9 Add the drained rice to the pot along with the optional canned whole tomatoes. Stir gently to coat the grains in the sauce. If the liquid looks low, add up to 250 ml (1 cup) more hot water so the rice is covered by about 1 cm (1/2 in) of liquid. Spread the rice evenly, press down lightly, and bring to a gentle boil.
10. 10 Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover tightly (use a tight-fitting lid or seal with a clean tea towel under the lid to trap steam), and cook undisturbed for 20-25 minutes, until the rice is tender and has absorbed all the liquid, turning a deep reddish-orange. Do not lift the lid during cooking. If the rice is still firm after 25 minutes, add 60 ml (1/4 cup) hot water, re-cover, and cook 5 more minutes.
11. 11 REST AND FLUFF: Remove from the heat and let the rice rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and gently fluff with a fork.
12. 12 SERVE: Traditionally, the rice is mounded on a large platter, with the fish laid on top and the vegetables arranged around it. Serve with lemon wedges and any remaining sauce in a bowl on the side. Eat communally, with extra sauce spooned over the rice as desired. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat them until steaming hot before eating.