Calulu de Peixe

About This Recipe

Calulu de Peixe is the soul of São Toméan cooking. Dried or smoked fish is layered into a pot with okra, aubergine, sweet potato, and dark leafy greens, all cooked down slowly in palm oil until the flavours meld into a deeply savoury, slightly sweet stew. The dish tells the story of São Tomé's African culinary roots, Portuguese colonial past, and Atlantic fishing heritage.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 400 gdried/smoked fish, soaked 20 min and broken into large pieces
• 200 gfresh okra, trimmed and halved
• 1 mediumsweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 150 gwater spinach or kale, roughly chopped
• 3 tbspred palm oil
• 2tomatoes, chopped

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the base

   Heat palm oil in a heavy pot. Add tomatoes and cook 5 minutes until softened and fragrant.

2. 2

   Layer the stew

   Add sweet potato, okra, and leafy greens. Stir gently to coat everything in palm oil.

3. 3

   Add fish and liquid

   Nestle fish pieces on top. Add 300 ml water and season with salt. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

4. 4

   Slow-cook

   Uncover and stir gently. Continue cooking 15 minutes until stew is thick and fragrant and sweet potato is tender.

5. 5

   Serve

   Serve over white rice or with fresh bread, drizzled with extra palm oil if desired.

Variations

• •

  Use fresh fish instead of dried for a lighter version.

• •

  Add dried shrimp for extra umami.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days. Flavours improve the next day.

Frequently Asked Questions