Traditional thieboudienne: Senegalese fish rice with vegetables, tomato and the parsley and garlic paste

Thieboudienne, or ceebu jën in Wolof, means fish rice, and it is Senegal's lunch. It was born in Saint-Louis, the former colonial capital in the north of the country, in the 19th century, attributed to a cook named Penda Mbaye, who in a year of rice shortage cooked the grain in fish broth with vegetables to make it go further. UNESCO added it to its cultural heritage list in 2021, and it is served on a large round platter around which the whole family sits.

It is a dish of layered flavors: the fish, preferably grouper or another firm-fleshed fish, is slashed and stuffed with rof, a paste of parsley, garlic, scallion, chili and bouillon powder; it is fried quickly and then cooked in a sauce of tomato, onion and bell pepper with the whole vegetables. Broken rice, which Senegalese prefer, is cooked in the red broth that remains, and the crust that forms at the bottom of the pot, the xooñ, is the part everyone fights over.

It takes time, several steps and many vegetables, but it is a one-pot dish and feeds a crowd. Serve with lime wedges and, if you like, a little fresh chili on the side.

Recipe card

• Origin: Saint-Louis, Senegal
• Category: Main course, rice with fish and vegetables
• Difficulty: Medium
• Preparation time: 45 minutes
• Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Serves: 8

Ingredients — fish and rof

• 1.5 kg thick steaks of firm fish (grouper, sea bass, croaker or hake)
• 1 bunch parsley
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 scallions
• 1 fresh red chili
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube, crumbled (or 1 teaspoon salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Oil for frying

Ingredients — sauce, vegetables and rice

• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 liters hot water
• 400 g peeled cassava in large pieces
• 1/2 small cabbage cut in 2 pieces
• 3 carrots in large pieces
• 1 small eggplant, quartered
• 300 g pumpkin in large pieces
• 1 whole habanero or fresh red chili (optional)
• 2 tablespoons tamarind or yete (dried mollusk, optional)
• 4 cups broken rice (or regular rice, rinsed)
• Salt to taste
• Lime wedges

Method

1. Blend the parsley, garlic, scallion, chili, bouillon and black pepper in a food processor into a paste: the rof. Make a deep cut in each fish steak and stuff with the paste.
2. Fry the steaks in hot oil for 3 minutes per side, just to brown. Set aside.
3. In a large pot, heat the oil and sauté the onion for 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and fry for 3 minutes, stirring, until it darkens.
4. Add the tomatoes, bell pepper, bay leaves and any leftover rof and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Pour in the hot water, season with salt, add the cassava, carrot, cabbage and the whole chili and cook for 15 minutes.
6. Add the eggplant, pumpkin, tamarind and fish and cook for another 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the fish cooked.
7. Carefully remove the fish and vegetables and keep warm. Measure the broth: you need about 6 cups for the rice (top up with water or reduce).
8. Add the rice to the broth, stir once, cover and cook on low for 20 to 25 minutes, until dry. Let the crust form at the bottom on the lowest heat for 10 minutes.
9. Assemble the platter: the red rice underneath, the fish and vegetables on top, the crust broken into pieces around and lime wedges.

Tips and variations

• Broken rice is found in African or Asian grocery stores; regular rice works with a little less broth.
• The crust at the bottom, the xooñ, is the prize: let it toast without burning.
• Thiebou yapp is the same recipe with beef instead of fish.
• Vegetables vary with the season: okra, turnip, sweet potato and bell pepper are common.
• The caramelized onion sauce with lime and mustard (yassa) on the side is a popular addition.
• Leftovers reheat well in a frying pan with a drizzle of oil.
• Without the whole chili the dish is mild; it is there for those who want to mash it on their own plate.

Thieboudienne is the platter around which Senegal sits: red rice, stuffed fish, tender vegetables and the crust from the bottom. Make it for a crowd and serve it in the center of the table.