Senegalese Thieboudienne — West Africa's Greatest Rice and Fish Dish Cooked Seed Oil Free

By Savannah Ryan — The Foodie Kitchen

Thieboudienne — pronounced chay-boo-jin — is Senegal's national dish and one of the most complete one-pot meals on the African continent. Rice cooked in a rich tomato and spice broth, layered with fresh fish and root vegetables, finished with the concentrated sauce from the pot. It is communal food at its finest — traditionally served on a massive shared platter from which everyone eats together. The original recipe uses vegetable oil. This MAHA version replaces it with olive oil throughout — the correct ancestral fat for a North and West African dish of this complexity.

This recipe comes from Savor Africa by Savannah Ryan. Find more in the African recipes collection and MAHA recipes collection.

Senegalese Thieboudienne — Seed Oil Free

Serves 6 | Prep 20 minutes | Cook 1 hour

Ingredients:

2 cups long-grain rice · 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil · 1 large onion, chopped · 2 tomatoes, diced · 2 tablespoons tomato paste · 2 teaspoons smoked paprika · 1 teaspoon ground cumin · 1 teaspoon turmeric · 1 teaspoon ground coriander · ½ teaspoon black pepper · 2 bay leaves · 4 cups fish stock or water · Salt to taste

For fish and vegetables: 1 whole grouper or snapper cut into portions (or 600g firm white fish fillets) · 2 carrots cut into large chunks · 2 medium potatoes cut into chunks · 1 medium aubergine cut into chunks · 4 cloves garlic, minced · 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated · 2 tablespoons olive oil · Salt and pepper · Lemon wedges to serve

Method:

1. Season fish with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Set aside 10 minutes.

2. Heat olive oil in a large deep pot. Cook onion until soft — 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and tomato paste, cook 5 minutes until broken down. Add all spices and bay leaves, stir for 60 seconds to bloom in the oil.

3. Pour in fish stock, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer. Add carrots, potatoes and aubergine. Cook 10 to 15 minutes until beginning to soften.

4. Gently add fish to the pot. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes until fish is cooked through and vegetables are tender. Remove fish and vegetables carefully — keep the broth.

5. Rinse rice, add to the hot broth. Stir, reduce heat to lowest, cover and cook 12 minutes until rice is tender and broth is absorbed.

6. Transfer rice to a large serving platter. Arrange fish and vegetables over the top. Pour remaining broth over everything. Serve with lemon wedges.

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