Fish maffé

🐟 Fish added at the end to a coastal peanut, tomato and vegetable sauce, brightened with lemon.

Ingredients

• 🐟 650 g firm fish, skinless and boneless, in large pieces (grouper, capitaine or comparable local fish)
• 🥜 140 g plain peanut paste, with no added sugar
• 🍅 3 ripe tomatoes, grated, and 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 🧅 1 large onion, chopped, and 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 🥕 1 carrot sliced and 250 g cabbage cut into wedges
• 🫗 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 💧 750 ml hot water or low-salt stock
• 🍋 1 lemon, juice and wedges; 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 🌿 1 teaspoon sweet paprika, ½ teaspoon cumin and pepper
• 🧂 ¾ teaspoon salt; 🌶️ chili optional; rice or millet couscous to serve

Preparation

Keep the fish cold. Cut it into large pieces, check carefully for bones and pat dry. Loosen peanut paste in 200 ml lukewarm water; prepare vegetables and separate utensils for raw fish.

Heat oil in a wide pot. Cook onion for 5 min, add garlic and ginger for 30 seconds, then stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika, cumin and pepper.

Cook the tomato base for 8–10 min until reduced. Pour in the remaining hot water and diluted peanut paste. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 min, stirring often so the sauce thickens without catching.

Add carrot and cabbage; simmer for 10 min. The sauce should be nearly as thick as desired before the fish goes in, as vigorous stirring afterward could break the pieces.

Place the fish in one layer if possible. Partially cover and cook over low heat for 8–12 min depending on thickness, without stirring; check that the center is opaque and reaches 63 °C.

Add lemon juice and adjust salt with a clean spoon. Gently shake the pot instead of stirring. Serve at once with rice or millet couscous and offer chili separately.