Senegalese Caldou (Fish and Rice with Lemon)

About This Recipe

Caldou is Senegal's lighter fish and rice dish — a simple, elegant preparation of fresh fish poached in a broth of lemon, onion, and bitter tomato, served over white rice. Unlike the complex thieboudienne, caldou is clean and bright, allowing the quality of the fish to take center stage. It's the dish you eat when you want something nourishing but lighter, and it's equally Senegalese.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 800 gfirm white fish (sea bass, grouper, or thiof if available)
• 2 cupswhite rice
• 2 largeonions, sliced
• 3 mediumbitter tomatoes or small regular tomatoes
• 3 lemonsjuiced
• 4 clovesgarlic, minced
• 1/4 cupvegetable oil
• 1 tspsalt
• 1/2 tspblack pepper
• 1 literwater

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the broth

   Sauté onions and garlic in oil until soft. Add water, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes.

2. 2

   Poach the fish

   Add fish pieces to the broth. Poach gently for 10–12 minutes until cooked through. Remove fish carefully.

3. 3

   Add lemon

   Add lemon juice to the broth. Taste and adjust — it should be pleasantly tart.

4. 4

   Cook the rice

   Cook rice in some of the fish broth for extra flavor. Drain when cooked.

5. 5

   Serve

   Serve rice on a large platter, top with fish pieces, and ladle the lemony broth over everything.

Variations

• •

  Add vegetables (carrot, eggplant) to the broth

• •

  Use shrimp instead of fish

• •

  Serve with attiéké (cassava couscous) instead of rice

• •

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

Storage

Store broth and fish separately. Best eaten same day.

Frequently Asked Questions