Bole and fish — roasted plantain, mackerel and pepper sauce
🍌 Whole roasted plantains with oven-cooked mackerel and a separate palm-oil pepper sauce. A home adaptation for four.
Ingredients
- 4 firm yellow plantains, about 800 g peeled flesh
- 600 g ready-to-cook skin-on mackerel fillets
- 150 g peeled onion
- 200 g deseeded red pepper
- 150 g tomato
- ½–1 small fresh chilli, to taste
- 45 ml food-grade red palm oil for sauce
- 10 ml neutral oil for tray and fish
- 50 ml water for sauce
- About 4 g salt, divided and adjusted
Preparation
Heat oven to 200°C conventional or 180°C fan. Prepare separate trays. Check and remove accessible fish bones, pat dry and refrigerate.
Peel plantains and place whole on a tray lightly greased with part of the neutral oil. Roast 30–35 minutes, turning halfway.
Chop onion; coarsely blend pepper, tomato and chilli, using the measured water only if needed.
Warm palm oil gently without smoking or bleaching it. Soften onion for 4–5 minutes.
Add blended vegetables and the 50 ml water if not already used. Lightly salt and simmer uncovered 15–20 minutes until thick.
After plantains have cooked about 15 minutes, put fillets skin-side down on the second tray. Brush with remaining neutral oil, salt and bake 15–20 minutes depending on thickness.
Check plantains are tender. Fish should be opaque and flake easily; a clean thermometer should reach 63°C in its thickest part. Extend cooking as needed, removing ready items.
Serve one plantain per person with a quarter of the fish and separate sauce. Optional: briefly grill plantains alone for 1–2 minutes, watching closely. Small bones may remain.