Thieboudienne (Senegalese fish and rice)
Senegal’s national dish: fish and vegetables braised in a deep tomato sauce, then rice cooked in that same sauce until it drinks up every drop.
- 100 min total
- 40 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 6
- About $2.22 a serving
- 480 calories
- Good the next day
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 1½ lb frozen white fish fillets, thawed, patted dry and cut into 3-inch pieces
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 yellow onions, chopped
- 1 can tomato paste, 6 oz
- 1 vegetable bouillon cube
- 3 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
- ¼ head green cabbage, cut into 2 wedges
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1 jalapeño, left whole, pierced with a knife
- 2 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
From your pantry
- 1½ tsp salt, divided
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 5 cups water
Each serving has about 480 calories, 26 g protein, 75 g carbs and 9 g fat, and costs about $2.22 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No fresh parsley? Cilantro works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No green cabbage? Red cabbage or coleslaw mix works.
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No limes? Lemons work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Mash the garlic, parsley, ½ teaspoon of the salt and the pepper into a rough paste and rub it all over the fish. Set it aside in the fridge.
Dolly’s tip: In Senegal this herb paste, called roff, is stuffed into slits in the fish. Rubbing it on works just as well.Heat the oil in a or large heavy pot over medium heat. Cook the onions for about 8 minutes, often, until soft and .
Dutch oven. A Dutch oven is a heavy pot, usually enameled cast iron, with a tight-fitting lid. It holds heat evenly, so it’s great for soups, stews and anything that simmers a long time.
How you’ll know: Any large, heavy pot with a lid does the same job if you don’t have one.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium heatTimer: 8 min
Stir in the tomato paste and cook 3 to 4 minutes, , until it darkens to a deep brick red.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Medium heatTimer: 3 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Cooking the paste until it darkens is where the deep flavor comes from. Keep stirring so it doesn’t catch.Add the water, bouillon cube, the rest of the salt, the carrots, cabbage, sweet potato and whole jalapeño. .
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Cover and for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 20 min
Slide the fish into the pot and gently for 8 to 10 minutes, until it flakes easily.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 9 min
Food safety: Fish is done at 145°F, when the middle looks opaque and flakes apart easily with a fork.
Lift the fish, vegetables and jalapeño onto a platter with a slotted spoon, cover with foil and keep warm.
Measure the sauce left in the pot: you want about 3 cups. Add water or spoon some off to get there, then in the rice.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Medium heat
Bring it .
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Cover tightly, turn the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, until the rice is tender and has soaked up the sauce.
Low heatTimer: 20 min
Dolly’s tip: Don’t stir. The crust that forms on the bottom, called xoon, is the best part.Pile the red rice on a big platter, arrange the fish and vegetables on top and serve with lime wedges.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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