Thieboudienne
Overview
Thieboudienne, or ceebu jen in Wolof, is Senegal's best known dish of fish and rice, often called its national dish. To make thieboudienne, you stuff firm white fish with a paste of parsley, garlic and pepper and braise it in tomato sauce. Then you cook the vegetables in that same liquid, and finally the broken rice, so it soaks up everything that went before. The name means rice and fish, which undersells it. UNESCO added ceebu jen to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021. It says the dish began in the fishing communities on the island of Saint-Louis and that the recipe passes from mother to daughter. It's served on one big platter, rice underneath with the fish and vegetables on top, and in most families it's eaten with the hands. Jollof rice is thought to have grown out of it. Across the Atlantic, the red rice of Savannah and Charleston looks so much like it that it suggests West African cooking carried over by enslaved Africans.
AFN Heritage Note
Thieboudienne is attributed by Senegalese culinary tradition to Penda Mbaye, a cook from Saint-Louis, in the mid nineteenth century, when the port city was a crossroads of Wolof, Tukulor and European influence. UNESCO inscribed ceebu jen on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Mix the parsley, half the garlic, a little pepper, salt and half a bouillon cube, pounding in a mortar or blending in a food processor.
- 2
Push this stuffing into slits cut in the fish pieces.
- 3
Heat the peanut oil, add the onions, tomatoes, tomato paste, the remaining garlic and the remaining black pepper. Fry for 15 minutes over medium heat.
- 4
Add the stuffed fish to the tomato sauce.
- 5
Add the remaining bouillon cube, the bay leaves and 1 cup of water.
- 6
Simmer until the fish is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- 7
Lift out the fish. Add all the vegetables except the okra with 1 cup of water and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, until done but not collapsing.
- 8
Remove the vegetables and add the okra with water.
- 9
After 5 minutes remove the okra and add the rice.
- 10
Cook the rice over low heat, turning often so it cooks evenly.
- 11
When the rice is done, mound it on a large platter and arrange the vegetables and fish on top.
Africook’s Notes
- Broken rice is the correct rice and not a cheaper substitute for whole grain. It absorbs the cooking liquid faster and more completely, which is the entire point of cooking the rice last in the liquid everything else has flavoured.
- Nététou, fermented locust bean, has a strong and off putting smell in the jar and turns to pure savoury depth in the pot. It is the ingredient most responsible for the dish tasting Senegalese rather than generically West African.
- Take each component out when it is done rather than leaving everything in the pot. Overcooked cabbage and collapsed potato are the most common faults, and they are avoidable.
- Smoked fish alongside the fresh adds a depth that fresh fish alone does not reach, and it is standard in Senegalese kitchens.
- If using fillets rather than whole fish, marinate them in the stuffing paste for at least 30 minutes, refrigerated, since there are no slits to hold it.
Questions cooks ask
What does thieboudienne mean?
It's Wolof: ceeb means rice and jën means fish. You'll also see it spelled ceebu jen, thiéboudienne, thiebou dieune or thiebou jen, and many people just call it thieb.
Is thieboudienne the national dish of Senegal?
It's widely called Senegal's national dish. In 2021 UNESCO inscribed ceebu jën, a culinary art of Senegal, on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It says the dish is seen as an affirmation of Senegalese identity.
Where does thieboudienne come from?
UNESCO says it began in the fishing communities on the island of Saint-Louis in Senegal, and that the recipe and techniques are passed down from mother to daughter. It's usually dated to the nineteenth century.
What rice should I use for thieboudienne?
Broken rice, sold at West African and Asian grocers and sometimes labelled brisures de riz. It isn't a cheap shortcut here. It takes up the cooking liquid far better than whole grains, and that's the whole point of cooking the rice last. If you can't find it, use a short or medium grain rice rather than basmati, which stays too separate.
What is nététou and can I make thieboudienne without it?
Nététou is fermented locust bean, used across Senegal and West Africa as a savoury base. It smells strong in the jar and turns deep and savoury in the pot. You can leave it out and the dish will still be good, but it's the ingredient that makes thieboudienne taste Senegalese rather than generally West African. West African grocers sell it.
What vegetables go in thieboudienne?
AFN's recipe uses carrot, potatoes, cabbage, okra and peppers, with aubergine as an option. UNESCO notes the dish uses seasonal vegetables and that recipes vary from region to region. Each one comes out of the pot as soon as it's done, so nothing turns to mush.
Can I make thieboudienne without whole fish?
Yes, with fillets, though you lose the stuffing that seasons the fish from the inside. Marinate the fillets in the same parsley, garlic and pepper paste for at least 30 minutes in the fridge before you cook them.
How is thieboudienne eaten?
From one large shared platter, with each person eating from the section in front of them. UNESCO notes that most families eat it with their hands, while restaurants usually give you a spoon or fork.
Reviews
4 reviews
Pounding the parsley and garlic in the mortar felt so much like making a green masala paste for Gujarati stuffed fish. The way the chopped onions and tomato paste build up that rich base in the peanut oil is basically making a bhuna base. Took a bit longer than 15 mins to get the tomatoes fried down properly, but the flavour inside the grouper was wonderful.
fried the tomatoes and paste in the peanut oil until it got proper dark before dropping the snapper in. That garlic and parsley paste stuffed right into the fish slits is so lekker, total game changer. Couldn't get grouper at the fishmonger so used red snapper instead. Will make this again just now for the family on Sunday.
couldnt find grouper at the shop here so used snapper fillets instead. stuffing that parsley garlic mix into the slits no be small thing but e sweet well well! Only issue is 1 cup of water was too small for the carrots and potatoes to cook through properly, I had to add almost another cup o. Still came out good sha.
Délicieux plats à découvrir et préparer régulièrement Bon appétit