KING MACKEREL IN NJANGSANG SAUCE
Equipment
- blender
- Small to medium Sauce pot
Ingredients
- 2 King mackerel steaks ( about 1 inch thick ~ 1 pound)
- 1/8 cup Njangsang seeds
- 1/2 tsp country onion (or 1 whole country onion)
- 1 small pebbe
- 1/8 tsp white peppercorn
- 1/2 small yellow onion (1/2 to be blended, 1/2 sliced and fried with oil)
- 2 sprigs of parsley
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 1/4 inch chunk of ginger
- 1 medium Roma tomato
- 1 habanero pepper
- 1 maggi cube (optional)
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Season Mackerel steaks with salt / maggi and place into saucepan.
- Toast njangsang seeds, white pepper, pebbe in a fry pan for about 3 minutes. Add into a blender together with 1/2 of the onion, tomato, parsley, ginger , garlic, onion and habanero pepper. Blend with 1 cup of water until smooth.
- Pour spice blend over fish. Add a pinch or two of salt. Rinse blender cup with 1/4 cup of water and pour into sauce pot.
- Cover and bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until fish can be easily flaked off the bone. Carefully shake or move fish around a few times while cooking to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Season sauce to taste if necessary
- Then, heat about 1/4 cup of avocado oil (or canola oil /vegetable oil) and fry sliced onion until slightly brown. Pour entire content into sauce pot with fish and simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes and you're done.
- Serve with boiled ripe plantains, cocoyams, cassava or rice.
Notes
- You can use any fish for this recipe but a white fish works best. So Catfish, tilapia, flounder are a few other options. Using steaks instead of fillets will help keep your fish together while it cooks.
- I will not recommend using olive oil at the final step as this will slightly change the flavor profile. You want a very neutral oil.
- Add sauce consistency by using more or less water. If cooking in plantain leaves, you'll want a thicker sauce so it does not leak.