Ceebu Jen – Rice with fish from Senegal

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g rice
• 500 g fish(s) (salmon, kingfish, tilapia are suitable)
• 3 carrots
• 5 m.-sized potatoes, or cassava or 1/2 yam
• 1 eggplant(s)
• Garlic as desired
• 1 onion(s), chopped
• Parsley
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Tomato paste
• Paprika powder
• Chili powder as desired
• 200 ml oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

Crush the garlic and mix it with chopped parsley, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Clean the fish (you can also use ready-made salmon fillets; it’s important that the fish has a reasonably firm consistency), cut it in a few places, and stuff the garlic mixture into it. Heat the oil (it’s okay to use a lot), add the onion, a little paprika, a little lemon juice, and tomato paste (1 small can) and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the fish and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Pour in 1.5 liters of water and add the roughly chopped vegetables (carrots, eggplant, and potatoes, or cassava or yams), season with salt and pepper. Let everything simmer for 1 hour. Remove the vegetables and fish from the juice, place them in a separate bowl, and pour a little of the juice over them. Add the washed rice to the remaining juice and cook for 15 minutes. In Senegal, this dish is served on a large platter, from which everyone eats together.