Poached Fish in Tomato Sauce with Vegetables (Sengalese Thieboudienne)

Thieboudienne (pronounced "ceebu jen") literally translated means 'the rice of fish' in the Wolof language in Senegal. The name hardly does the dish justice. Thieboudienne is considered to be the national dish of Senegal and for good reason, it is bursting with layers of excellent flavour. Just one of the reasons Senegalese cuisine is known around the world as delicious. Thieboudienne can be made with an assortment of different vegetables so you can easily use what you like or have on hand.  This dish calls for a few unique ingredients. Smoked fish is one which adds great flavour. Another is a spice called netetou which is a fermented bean that is ground up. This spice has a strong unpleasant scent but completely changes into an umami flavouring when cooked. I highly recommend you try it and it is also used in many other Senegalese and West African dishes. The purée or marinade that is made for the fish is exceptional. You can use any type of white firm fish you like but grouper or snapper would be most authentic. Additionally you can use the whole fish or just fillets which is what I ended up using. If using the whole fish you stuff the purée into slits or if using fillets you can marinade them in the purée, just plan some extra time for that. It should refrigerate for a couple of hours to absorb the delicious flavour.

1½ cups rice
4 large pieces white fish; snapper or grouper
3 tomatoes, mashed
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 bunch fresh parsley, crushed
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into medium pieces
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped into large chunks
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped (divided)
1 small eggplant, sliced
1 small cabbage, cut into 4 pieces
½ cup peanut oil
2 Maggi cubes
4 bay leaves
1 Tbsp. nététou
2 Tbsp. smoked fish, shredded or ground
2 habanero peppers, de-seeded and diced
1 Tbsp. black pepper, freshly ground
kosher salt
4 okra
6 cups hot water

Prepare the Stuffing or Purée/Marinade for Fish:
In a food processor or mortar and pestle blend or crush the parsley, half the garlic, 1 Maggi cube, plus a little salt and pepper to taste and a spoon of oil.

Cut slits if in the flesh of the fish and stuff the puree inside or slather the fillets with the purée and refrigerate for a couple of hours. (Reserve leftover purée)

Make the Tomato Sauce:
Heat the oil to medium high and add the onions, tomatoes, tomato paste, the black pepper and remaining garlic. Then fry for 15 minutes.

Add the stuffed or marinated fish into the tomato sauce. Add the Maggi cube, bay leaves, nététou, smoked fish, habaneros and 1 cup of water. Simmer until the fish pieces are cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Remove the fish pieces and add all the vegetables except okra with 1 cup of water and cook the vegetables until they are cooked approximately 25-30 minutes.

You must ensure that the vegetables are tender before removing them, but take care to not overcook them.

Then remove the vegetables and add the okra with water. Cook for 5 minutes more then remove the okra.

Cooking the Rice:
Cook the rice over low heat, stir often and cook until tender.

To Serve:
When the rice is cooked well its ready for serving. place the rice on a nice dish and arrange the vegetables and fish on top.