Salted Cod Stew (Gabonese Poisson Salé)

Even in places endowed with an abundance of Earth's natural resources, it's not necessarily a "given" that a flourishing cuisine will develop. The coastal African country Gabon lends is a perfect example of this. It seems like much of Gabon's cuisine developed on the fly with the help of external influences and historical passersby. And yet, what's resulted is a contemporary Gabonese cuisine that is quite unlike anything else. Take one bite of poisson salé or ndole, or any other dish, and you will quickly understand how special and unique the cuisine has become. The "salted fish" is a delicious and healthy Gabonese family dish. Based on cod and various vegetables. It's very easy to make once you've carefully removed the bones and that's the most time-consuming part of this recipe. Gabonese Poisson Salé has many variations which mixes vegetables and fish. Sometimes we take out one ingredient, sometimes we add another. In any case, it's ultra healthy, easy to cook and absolutely delicious.

6 Tbsp. peanut oil
cod (800 g)
green cabbage (1 kg)
2 carrots
1 eggplant
1 sweet potato or 2 potatoes
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
2 peppers
3 bouillon cubes
1 bay leaf
chili pepper

Soak the pieces of salted cod for 24 hours in cold water in a cool place, changing the water 4 times.

Cook the pieces of cod for about 20 minutes in water then drain them.

Crumble the flesh and remove the skins and bones. You have to be as attentive as possible to this step and take all your time to be thorough. Brown the fish flesh in the oil for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring often.

Peel a large onion and three cloves of garlic and purée them in a blender. Add them to the fish.

Makes 8 servings.