Thieboudienne

★★★★4.9· 543 ratings

·Serves 6

About this Dish

Senegal's national dish and one of West Africa's greatest — fish and rice cooked together in a tomato and vegetable broth in a single pot. The rice absorbs the fish stock and tomato, becoming intensely flavoured. A UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage dish. The scorched rice at the bottom (xoon) is the most prized element — equivalent to the socarrat of paella. Considered the mother of all West African rice dishes.

IngredientsServes 6

🐟Firm white fish (thiof/grouper or cod), 1kg cut into thick steaks

🍚Broken jasmine rice (or regular jasmine rice), 500g

🍅Tomato paste, 3 tablespoons

🧅Large onions, 2 roughly chopped

🌿Fresh parsley and thyme stuffing mix (rof): 1 bunch parsley, 4 garlic cloves, 1 scotch bonnet — blended to a paste

🥕Mixed vegetables: 2 carrots, 1 small cabbage wedge, 1 aubergine, 2 sweet potatoes — all cut into large chunks

🫒Neutral vegetable oil, 120ml

🐟Fish stock cubes, 2 (or 1 litre homemade fish stock)

🧄Garlic cloves, 4 minced

🌶️Whole scotch bonnet pepper, 1 (kept whole for gentle heat)

Method

Score each fish steak and stuff the cuts generously with the rof paste (blended parsley, garlic, and scotch bonnet). Season with salt and let the fish marinate for at least 30 minutes while you prepare everything else.

Heat the oil in your largest, heaviest-bottomed pot over high heat. Fry the stuffed fish steaks for 3–4 minutes per side until golden, then remove and set aside. In the same oil, fry the onions and tomato paste together, stirring constantly for 8–10 minutes until the paste darkens and the oil separates — this step is crucial for deep flavour.

Pour in 1.5 litres of water or fish stock and add the garlic, whole scotch bonnet, and all the vegetables. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are just tender. Remove all vegetables carefully and set aside, keeping them warm.

Return the fried fish to the broth for the last 5 minutes of simmering, then remove it gently alongside the vegetables. Taste the broth and season well with salt — this liquid will cook and flavour your rice.

Measure the broth remaining in the pot — you need roughly 750ml for 500g rice, so top up with water or reduce as needed. Bring to a boil, add the rice, stir once, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover tightly. Cook for 18–20 minutes without lifting the lid.

Once the liquid is fully absorbed, turn the heat to the lowest setting and cook for a further 8–10 minutes uncovered. You want to hear a gentle sizzle — this creates the xoon, the prized scorched crust at the bottom. Resist the urge to stir.

To serve, invert the pot onto a large platter so the xoon crust sits on top as a crown, then arrange the fish and vegetables around the rice. Scrape every bit of the crispy bottom — it is the most coveted part of the dish.

User Reviews

No reviews yet — be the first!

Members can create lists, save favourites and get recommendations.

Find the Best Thieboudienne Near Me

AI-powered — Google, TripAdvisor and food blogs

🔥 Viral Recipes

How the world's most famous chefs — and creators — make this dish