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Perfectly Baked Tilapia

Perfectly Baked Tilapia 

The secrets of a good braised tilapia are the cleaning and seasoning of tilapia. Cleaning the tilapia is quite simple, although it is not always pleasant.

3 tilapia

2 allspice 

2 cloves

7-10 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon mustard

1 teaspoon mustard grain

1 cube

1/4 cup oil

Salt

 

 

Clean the fish:

Use a dull knife or spoon to remove the scales on both sides

Make a small hole on the belly of the fish and use your fingers or a dull spoon to scoop out the fish’s innards and don’t miss dark kidney in the back or some strands of innards along the walls

Clean the inside of the head of the fish.

Remove a dorsal fin by pulling firmly from tail to head.

Rinse the fish off, inside and out, in cool water with vinegar (or Lemon Juice) to remove any slim or bad odor of the fish.

Season the fish with 2 allspice, 2 cloves, 7-10 cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon mustard, 1 teaspoon mustard grain, 1 cube, 1/4 cup oil and Salt. Marinate in refrigerator for up to 24 hours

 

Make three-four diagonal cuts on each side of the fish, all the way to the right across the bone. 

Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C/400°F/gas 6).

Bake for 20-30 minutes on each side or until the thickest part flakes easily when tested with a knife.

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Fried whole tilapia

1 Tilapia

2 habanero pepper

6 garlic

1 rosemary branch 

1 teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt to taste

Oil, for frying

Ask your fishmonger to gut, trim, and scale the fish. Once you get the fish home, clean the it thoroughly, specially the inner cavity. Trim the fins and tail if desired. Score a diagonal criss-cross pattern across the fish body on both sides.

Rub some salt, black pepper, garlic and turmeric powder on the fish. 

Mix the spices and rub the spice paste generously on to the inner cavities and outside of the whole pomfret.

Heat oil on medium heat in a flat-bottomed non-stick pan. The oil should come up to the side of the fish. Heat the oil until it is smoking hot. Add habanero pepper, garlic and rosemary branch 

Add the tilapia and turn the heat to medium.

Fry the fish for about 8-10 minutes on each side. To turn the fish, slowly scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the fish. If the fish is ready, it should be very easy to loosen the fish. While frying, occasionally tilt the pan from side to side, so that the head and tail get submerged and crisped along with the mid-section of the fish.

Serve the fried whole tilapia

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Fish stew

M’gbagba, Dja, Sauce de tomate or tomato stew

M’gbagba au poisson (Dja)

2 tilapia

10 large tomatoes

2 big onions

4 teaspoon tomato paste

2 ground garlic

3 tablespoons fresh ground ginger

3 tablespoons crayfish powder

1 ~ 3 West Indian peppers or 5 gboyébssé

salt pepper

potash (pea size)

1 bell pepper

1 cube

1 cup oil

 

Cut and salt the fish to taste

Heat the oil and fry the fish and set aside.

In a saucepan, on a medium heat, add the blended tomato, onion and cook for 20 mins.

Add the tomato paste, oil (water to the consistency desired). Cook for 10 min.

Add water if needed, oil, garlic, ginger, crayfish, peppers, potash, the fried fish, cube, salt, pepper and fry for another 20 minutes. 

Serve your sauce with your main dish. 

Enjoy your meal!

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Okra Soup (FétriDessi)

Okra Soup
Okra Soup (FetriDessi) is one of the most popular and easy-to-prepare West African soups. The setup takes a lot of time. The okra needs to be washed and grated; the leaves (Gboma or Ogbono) needs to be washed and cut them roughly. Subsequently prepare the meat, smoked or dried fish and shellfish. Once the setup is finished, cooking is fast.
The Okra Soup can be prepared with mutton, beef, chicken or pork. Here is the step by step to cook the meat. For fish, we can use smoked Mackerel, fried tilapia, douevi … for crustaceans, we can use crab, octopus, crayfish, shrimp …
Okra is a rich source of dietary fiber, minerals and vitamins, as well as a low-calorie vegetable. Known in most West African countries as Okro and French speaking countries as gumbo. I used red oil for recipe. You can also cook the okra with tomato sauce or cook the okra dry.
Serve hot Okra soup with Makoume, Ewokoume, Ougali (Ugali), Ablo (ou Ablo simplified), Kenkey (ou Kenkey simplified), gari or rice.

Fétri dessi (Okra Soup)

  • ½ lbs chopped goat
  • 1/4 lbs beef skin
  • To season the meat
  • 1/2 sliced onion
  • 1 tablespoon ginger
  • 2 tablespoon garlic
  • 1 cube
  • 1 Bay leave
  • Salt to taste
  • 2½ cups of freshly chopped Okra
  • 10 fresh shrimps
  • 2 fresh crabs
  • 1 piece of salted fish (Lanhounhoun)
  • 5 Douèvi
  • 2 chopped Habanero peppers
  • 1 cup of palm oil
  • 2 tsp dry grounded pepper or chili flakes
  • 2 cup meat stock
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 cube
  • Salt to taste
  1. Mix the meat and the spices and add enough water to cover the meat. Cook until the meat is tender. PS the beef skin may cook faster that the goat meat, remove it and set aside.
  2. Fry the goat meat
  3. Boil 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Add the baking soda.
  4. Then add the Okra, 1/2 onion + 1 piece of salted fish and the 1 cup meat stock.
  5. Mix together 1 cup meat stock with 1 tablespoon garlic, 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 tablespoon paprika and 1 cube.
  6. Add the shrimp, crabs and the seasoning mixture.
  7. Add the hot pepper, Douèvi , beef skin and the goat meat and stir well.
  8. Let the soup cook uncovered for about 5-10minutes. Check for seasonings and add the palm oil.

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 Fresh fish stew with palm oil || Tuo Zaafi

 Fresh fish stew with palm oil

3 medium tilapia

2 onions

6 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon ginger

1 bouillon cube

2 cloves

2 allspice

2 red pepper

Salt to taste

2 teaspoons concentrated tomato

4 tomatoes

3 West Indian peppers (optional)

1/4 cup red oil

2 cups of water (or more depending on your taste)

A pinch of bicarbonate

Thoroughly clean the fish and rinse with water and vinegar (or lemon). Salt your fish.

Blend an onion, garlic, ginger, clove, all spice and dry red pepper and then season the fish with. Allow to rest at least 4 hours.

In a saucepan, heat the oil, add a chopped onion, and stir. Then add the concentrated tomato, the crushed tomato and the water and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the fish and spices.

Add the cube, baking soda and cover the pan and cook for 20 minutes. Do not use the spoon after adding the fish, stirring in circular motions with the pan.

Add the West Indian peppers. Cover the pan for about 5 minutes.

Tuo Zaafi

1 pack of ademé leaves (frozen) (Ayoyo leaves)

1 fish “lahoin” (dried and fermented fish)

1/2 onion

1 cube

Salt

Put a little water in the bottom of a pot, and add the potash and as soon as the water begins to boil the leaves of ademe.

Add the fish “lahoin” and 1/2 onion

With the help of a spoon, break the leaves of Ademe.

Boil until the sauce is slimy (about 10 minutes).

Enjoy your meal.