African · Lunch · Dinner
Thieboudienne
Ceebu jën
Senegal's national dish: herb-stuffed fish simmered in a rich tomato broth with cabbage, cassava, carrots and eggplant, then rice cooked in the same flavourful broth. This lighter version uses less oil and salt and plenty of vegetables.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 75 min
- Total
- 105 min
- Serves
- 6
Calories come from: Carbs 64% · Fat 14% · Protein 22%
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Ingredients
For 6 servings- 6 steaks (about 2 lb)900 gWhite fish steaks (grouper, sea bass or snapper), bone-in
- 1 cup packed30 gFresh flat-leaf parsley
- 6 cloves18 gGarlic
- 345 gGreen onions
- 1 1/2 tsp9 gSalt
- 1 tspBlack pepper, ground
- 3 tbsp40 gPeanut oil
- 2 medium220 gOnions, finely chopped
- 2/3 cup (1 small can)170 gTomato paste
- 6 1/3 cups1,500 gWater
- 2Bay leaves
- 110 gScotch bonnet pepper, whole
- 1 small piece30 gDried salted fish (guedj) (optional)
- 1 tbsp20 gTamarind paste (optional)
- 1 small root250 gCassava, peeled, cut in large chunks
- 3 medium180 gCarrots, halved
- 1/4 large head400 gGreen cabbage, cut in wedges
- 1 small250 gEggplant, cut in large chunks
- 1 medium200 gSweet potato, peeled, cut in chunks
- 8 pods100 gOkra, whole
- 2 cups380 gBroken rice (or long-grain white rice)
- 165 gLime, cut in wedges
Steps
- 1
Blend the parsley, garlic, green onions, 1 tsp of the salt and the black pepper into a coarse paste (roff).
- 2
Cut two deep slits in each fish steak and press the roff into the slits; rub any leftover roff over the fish.
- 3
Heat the peanut oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat and sear the fish for 2 minutes per side, then set aside on a plate.
- 4
Add the chopped onions to the pot and cook for 5 minutes until soft and golden.
- 5
Stir in the tomato paste with a splash of the water and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring often, until it darkens to a deep red.
- 6
Pour in the rest of the water, then add the bay leaves, whole scotch bonnet, dried fish and tamarind paste (if using) and the remaining 1/2 tsp salt; bring to a boil.
- 7
Add the cassava, carrots and cabbage and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
- 8
Add the eggplant, sweet potato, okra and seared fish and simmer gently for 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the fish flakes easily and reaches 63 °C / 145 °F.
- 9
Lift the fish, vegetables and scotch bonnet onto a platter and cover to keep warm; discard the bay leaves.
- 10
Rinse the rice until the water runs clear.
- 11
Ladle off all but about 3 1/2 cups of broth into a bowl and keep it warm.
- 12
Stir the rice into the broth in the pot, cover tightly and cook on low heat for 20–25 minutes until tender, adding a little reserved broth if it dries out.
- 13
Spoon the rice onto plates, top with the fish and vegetables, and serve with lime wedges and the reserved broth on the side.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use firm tofu or chickpeas instead of the fish and leave out the dried salted fish for a vegan version, stirring in a little gluten-free miso or tamari for savoury depth.
- Replace the cassava with extra sweet potato or regular potato if cassava is hard to find.
- Swap the broken rice for brown rice, adding extra broth and about 20 minutes more cooking time.
- Use any neutral vegetable oil such as sunflower oil instead of peanut oil to avoid peanuts.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers in airtight containers within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating the rice, fish and vegetables until steaming hot with a splash of reserved broth. Freezing isn't recommended, as the fish and vegetables turn soft and watery.
Make ahead
Blend the roff up to a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge, and peel and chop the vegetables the day before, storing the cassava covered in water in the fridge so it doesn't discolour.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: FishPeanuts
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (795 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 599 kcal | 75 kcal |
| Protein | 34.5 g | 4.3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 95.9 g | 12.1 g |
| of which sugars | 13 g | 1.6 g |
| Fiber | 9.5 g | 1.2 g |
| Fat | 9.1 g | 1.1 g |
| of which saturated | 1.7 g | 0.2 g |
| Sodium | 745 mg | 94 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
