Caribbean and African Cooking: Baked Fish in West African Tomato Sauce

Quite a lot of oil is generally used when making West African tomato sauce. I have reduced the amounts— this does alter the way the tomatoes cook, as the mixture is usually 'fried down' in oil for a while, to remove the acidity. Excess oil can be removed at the end.

Serves 4

THE SAUCE
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp palm oil 2 tbsp peanut oil
1/2 tsp dried thyme or a sprig of fresh thyme
1 large onion, chopped
14 oz can tomatoes, chopped
hot pepper, to taste


Put the palm oil and peanut oil into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat to a hazy heat. Carefully add the onions, tomatoes, garlic, thyme and hot pepper. Stir well and leave to cook for approximately 15 minutes stirring frequently; add some water if it becomes necessary.

TO PREPARE THE FISH

1 large travalli or gray mullet, cleaned and left whole
lemon juice
1 tsp seasoning mix
optional 1/2 tsp black pepper

Wash the fish well, then score and rub with lemon juice, seasoning mix and pepper. Place in a baking dish. Pour sauce over the fish, cover with foil, and bake at 400°F for 30-40 minutes.