Thieboudienne - the national dish of Senegal, is beautifully layered with flavors, textures and aromas. White fish is marinated in flavorful, aromatic paste and cooked to perfection, and then teamed up with savory rice and loads of veggies to create a dish that's going to make you feel oh-so-good!
It's hearty, filling and quite adaptable too!
I always took pride in my one pot Nigerian Jollof Rice, Rice pilau and my Cameroonian Jollof Rice recipes, and while this recipe may be a bit similar, the flavors are absolutely incredible! Traditional Nigerian Jollof rice has a rich tomato base, chicken and some veggies, while this Thieboudienne is packed with flavors. The tomato base for the rice may be slightly similar, but it also comes loaded with lots of veggies and fish, making it more hearty!
If you've tried Jollof rice, you've also got to check out my Iwuk Edesi recipe. It's a traditional Nigerian one-pot palm oil rice dish that's loaded with seafood and has a ton of flavor.
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What I Love About this Recipe
This hearty and wholesome rice combo is a one pot meal that is absolutely irresistible.
You'll need about 30 minutes of hands-on kitchen time, and the dish packs in so many complex flavors, and tastes like you spent hours making it.
It packs in rice, veggies and fish, and is a complete meal that can be enjoyed even without a side dish.
Thieboudienne Ingredients
Fish: Use any firm white fish or snapper that's scaled, gutted, and cut into pieces like sea bass, sea bream, snapper etc.
Veggies: I used a mix of sweet potatoes, okra, purple eggplant, carrots and cabbage.
Marinade: For the marinade, I used a mix of ginger, garlic, onion, green onion, bouillon powder, salt and parsley. Sometimes, I end up using my homemade Green Seasoning here.
Thieboudienne: To make the Thieboudienne, I used broken Basmati rice, tomato paste, fresh onion, and tomatoes, bay leaves, locust beans, bouillon powder, salt, and black pepper, and a bit of the green marinade leftover from marinating the fish. I also added some cured fish for an umami flavor, but if you can't find it, feel free to skip it.
Oil: Use any cooking oil of your choice.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Variations & Substitutions
- To lend a kick of heat to the Thieboudienne, add some scotch bonnet peppers or any hot peppers of your choice into the marinade mixture.
- If you love tangy flavors, add some tamarind paste into the mix, along with the tomato paste and tomatoes.
- Cassava can also be a fantastic addition to the mix, so if you have it at hand, you can add it in, too!
- If you don’t have access to salted or dried fish, you can use smoked fish for a similar savory flavor or simply rely on fresh fish and adjust the seasoning.
How to Make Thieboudienne
This flavor-packed one-pot dish is pretty easy to make. Here's all you'll need to do to make Thieboudienne.
- In a food processor jar, combine all the ingredients for the marinade and blitz until you get a coarse paste.
- Poke holes in the fish and gently spread the marinade all over the fish. Let this rest for 15-20 minutes, and then fry it in a bit of oil.
- Heat oil in a pot over medium heat and sauté the onions until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add the fresh tomatoes, seasonings, locust beans, and cured fish and stir well.
- Add 5-6 cups of water to the pot and add the green marinade and tougher veggies like potatoes and carrots. Follow it up with the other softer veggies and the fish
- Remove the veggies and set it aside, along with the fish. Add washed rice, and bay leaves to the pot and cook until the rice is tender.
- Nice and fully cooked fluffy rice.
- Serve the rice with the veggies on top.
Storing Leftovers
Store the leftover Thieboudienne in an airtight container for 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat it in the microwave, pausing at every 30-second interval, or in a pan over medium-low heat with just a little splash of water to get the moisture back in.
You can also freeze the Thieboudienne in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, and then reheat it whenever you want to.
Tips & Tricks to Make the Thieboudienne
- Remember to wash the rice thoroughly before you add it to the pot. Doing this helps remove the excess starch from the surface and keeps the rice fluffy.
- Ensure there is enough water in the pot to cover the rice after adding the washed rice. If you feel there's less water, add a bit more in.
- While root vegetables are the perfect choice for this Thieboudienne recipe, you can experiment with other veggies, too. Try adding regular potatoes, king oyster mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini or even pumpkin to the mix.
- Make sure you chop the veggies to be roughly the same size. This ensures they are all cooked to perfection.
- Cook the veggies only until they are just done and tender. Overcooking will make them soggy, and that's not what you would want.
- If you can, cook the fish with the skin on. This helps keep the fish from falling apart while cooking, and you can always remove the skin later, when you want to serve.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Thieboudienne is a hearty, filling and wholesome meal in itself, and you don't really need a side dish to go with it. If you really want to, I would suggest serving it with something sweet- like Cameroonian Gateau , mandazi, puff puff or my favorite African Drop Donuts. With something to drink, try this pineapple juice or this warm lemon tea.
Sometimes, I team it up with my Mango Sago, or make my famous Jamaican Rum Cake on occasions when we are celebrating.
Recipe FAQs
Feel free to use any firm white fish for the Thieboudienne recipe. Sea bass, grouper and sea bream are good choices.
You can, but I would recommend using broken Basmati or Jasmine rice for that perfect texture that's unique to this dish.
You absolutely can! Tilapia is also a great fish to use for this stew!
More African Recipes to Try
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this Thieboudienne or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Thieboudienne
Ingredients
Fish Marinade
For the Veggies
- 1 whole Purple eggplant cut into chunks
- 4-5 whole Okra
- 2 Medium Carrots peeled and cut into chunks
- ¼ head Cabbage cut into large chunks
- 1 Sweet Potato peeled and cut into chunks
For the Thieboudienne
- 2 cups Broken basmati rice or any broken rice
- ½ tablespoon Tomato paste
- 1 large Onion diced. or use remaining left from fish marinade
- 4 large Tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Blackpeppeer
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon Bouillon powder or 2 small cubes
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon Locust beans
- 1 cup Cooking oil
- small piece Cured fish or momoni (optional)
- 6-7 cups Water
- Remaining green seasoning from the fish
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients for the fish in a food processor or blender and coarlsey blend. Shouldnt be too smooth.2 Green Onion, 5 stems Fresh parsley, ¼ medium Onion, ½ thumpsize Ginger, 4 Garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Bouillion
- Using a knife, poke holes in the fish and stuff the marinade inside. Also, rub it all over the fish. Save some of the marinade for the rice. Set aside to marinate for 15-30 minutes.You can choose to fry or grill the fish. A typical theiboudienne needs just boiling of the fish in the sauce.1 whole Fish (firm white fish like sea bass, sea bream, grouper)
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat and saute the onion until soft and fragrant.1 cup Cooking oil, 1 large Onion
- Add the tomato paste and stir well. Let it cook for another 5 minutes until it starts to brown.½ tablespoon Tomato paste
- Add the chopped tomatoes, bouillon, salt, black pepper, locust beans, and cured fish. Stir and cook again for 5 minutes until some of the water dries.4 large Tomatoes, 1 teaspoon Blackpeppeer, 1 teaspoon Salt, 2 teaspoon Bouillon powder, 1 tablespoon Locust beans, small piece Cured fish
- Add about 5- 6 cups water to the pot. Add the green marinade, potatoes, carrot (tough ones) and cook till tender. Then, add eggplant, cabbage, okra, and fish to the pot. Gently stir and let everything cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes, until fully cooked. Remove the fish, potatoes and other veggies from the pot, set aside.1 whole Purple eggplant, 4-5 whole Okra, 2 Medium Carrots, ¼ head Cabbage, 1 Sweet Potato, 6-7 cups Water, Remaining green seasoning from the fish
- Add the washed rice, remaining green marinade and bayleaves to the sauce. You might need more water if the sauce dosen't cover the rice. You need the sauce to just cover the rice.2 cups Broken basmati rice, 2 Bay leaves
- Cover the pot and cook for 20-30 minutes till tender. When the rice has absorbed the water, seal the pot with an aluminum foil and reduce heat to low so it becomes fluffy.
- Serve the rice on a pan, put the veggies and fish on top of the rice, and serve.
Video
Notes
- Remember to wash the rice thoroughly before you add it to the pot. Doing this helps remove the excess starch from the surface, and keeps the rice fluffy.
- Make sure there is enough water in the pot to cover the rice after you add in the washed rice. If you feel there's less water, add a bit more in.
- While root vegetables are the perfect choice for this recipe, you can experiment with other veggies too. Try adding regular potatoes, king oyster mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini or even pumpkin to the mix.
- Make sure you chop the veggies such that they're roughly the same size. This ensures they are all cooked to perfection.
- Cook the veggies only until they are just done and tender. Overcooking will make them soggy, and that's not what you would want.
- If you can, cook the fish with the skin on. This helps keep the fish from falling apart while cooking, and you can always remove the skin later, when you want to serve.
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Kandii says
This recipe was very easy to follow, and simple to understand. Nice and authentic, it is close to my Mauritanian friend's recipe.
Bilikis says
Delicious
Yemi says
Can I use chicken instead of fish?
A typical thieboudienne uses fish. If you use chicken, it not thieboudienne
Claudy says
If you are a jollof rice lover. Then this should be your go to recipe. So good and packed with veggies. A balanced meal of course! Try this and thank me later