This is a Senegalese recipe for a ‘posher’ or ‘more improved’ version of fish yassa. There are a few ingredients here that are specific to Senegal. For the slightly more unusual (from a non-Senegalese perspective) ingredients, here are their meanings: yokhoss are smoked oysters; touffa are dried sea snails; pagnes are dried clams. Beuguedj is a sauce or paste made primarily from bissap (hibiscus) leaves, known as ‘sorrel’.
Ingredients:
2 large sea bream, cleaned
1kg of onions, finely diced
3 bell peppers of 3 different colours, finely diced
fragrant long-grain rice (Thai Jasmine for preference)
2 limes
lemon juice to make a paste
olive oil
prawns, peeled
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
garlic
hot chilli pepper
ginger powder for the fish
Dijon mustard (as needed)
Senegalese seafood (pagnes [dried clams], touffa [dried sea snails], yokhoss [smoked oysters])
beugueudj, to serve
Method:
The day before cut deep slashes in the sides of the fish. Pound together the garlic, salt, ginger, Maggi cube, chilli and enough lemon juice to yield a smooth paste. Spread this over the inside and outside of the fish, making sure you push it into the slashes in the flesh. Set aside to marinate in your refrigerator over night.
Bring a pan of water to a boil, add the pagnes, touffa and yokhoss boil for 1 hour (this will help to soften them and will remove any sand). Once cooked, drain and set aside.
Combine 1 onions and the bell peppers in a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, season well with the spices, mustard and lime juice then set aside.
For the cooked sauce, heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and use to fry the remaining onion for about 8 minutes, or until golden brown. Take off the heat and stir in a little Dijon mustard and lime juice.
Wash the rice well, then place in a pan and cover with 2cm of water (ie water should come 2cm above the rice). Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
At this point add the pre-cooked seafood (but not the prawns) and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes, until the rice is tender and all the liquid has been absorbed.
When the rice is almost ready cook the prawns. Heat a little oil in a pan. Add the prawns and season with minced garlic, salt and black pepper and lime juice. Stir the mixture and cook for about 4 minutes, until the prawns are pink.
Reserve a few prawns for garnish then add the remainder to the onion sauce.
Once the rice is cooked, fluff with a fork then turn out onto a serving dish. Spoon over the onion sauce, garnish with the reserved prawns and serve with the onion and bell pepper salad.
