Senegalese Thieboudienne Recipe
Thieboudienne, known as Ceebu Jen in Senegal's Wolof language, originated in the 19th century in the port town of Saint Louis. Often considered Senegal’s version of Jollof rice—a dish popular throughout West Africa—Thieboudienne differs primarily in its use of fish rather than meat.Though Jollof rice is thought to have roots in the Wolof Empire, Thieboudienne emerged later during French colonization. This Senegalese dish features a combination of white fish, rice, tomatoes, and peppers, all cooked together in a single pot.
Ingredients
For the fish and marinade:
- White fish (blue snapper or grouper) - 2 lbs
- Garlic - 4 cloves
- Caribbean red pepper or Habanero pepper - 1
- Parsley, chopped - 1 cup
- Shrimp bouillon - 1 tsp
- Black pepper - 1 tsp
- Salt - to taste
- Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
For the rice mixture:
- Broken jasmine rice, pre-soaked - 2 cups
- Bell peppers - 3
- Caribbean red pepper/habanero - 3
- Yam - 1
- Cabbage - ½ head
- Eggplant - 1
- Carrots - 1
For the sauce:
- Vegetable oil - 3/4 cup
- Diced tomato - 2 cups
- Tomato paste - 2 tbsp
- Onion, sliced - 1
- Garlic, minced - 4 cloves
- Caribbean red pepper/ habanero- 2
- Shrimp bouillon - 3 tbsp
- Salt and pepper - to taste
- Bay leaf - 1
Instructions
- Prepare your marinade and fish. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the parsley, the shrimp bouillon, salt and pepper, a tablespoon of oil, and 2 cloves of garlic to create a paste.
- Take the white fish fillets and coat them in the marinade, setting them aside in the refrigerator to marinate for 2-3 hours. Keep any leftover marinade.
- Now you will prepare the tomato sauce. In a large pot, heat the oil on medium-high. Add the diced tomato, tomato paste, onion, garlic, peppers, bouillon, and salt and pepper. Stir together well and cook on medium-high for 3-4 minutes, until onions are translucent. Then bring the temperature to medium-low for another 12 minutes.
- While the sauce is being made, begin to prepare your rice. Cook according to instructions with rice, putting on low heat and covering so it will cook while you prepare the fish and vegetables.
- Once the sauce is ready, remove the fish from the refrigerator and add it to the sauce.
- Add bay leaf and 1 cup of water. Bring to a simmer for about 15 minutes, until the fish is cooked well.
- Remove the fish from the sauce and set aside. Prepare your vegetables.
- Add all of your vegetables (bell pepper, red pepper, yam, cabbage, eggplants, carrot) and 1 cup of water.
- Cook the vegetables for about 25 minutes until tender.
- Once the vegetables are cooked, add the fish pieces back into the mixture. Mix well.
- Serve by scooping rice onto a dish and topping it with the fish and vegetables mixture.
Nutrition
Calories: 567kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 33gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 345mgFiber: 7gSugar: 11g
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