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Kenkey with fried fish and pepper sauce
Kenkey with fried fish: Ga-style fried fish with raw pepper sauce (shito optional)
In Accra and along the Ga coast, kenkey is lunch: balls of fermented corn dough, steamed in dried corn husks, eaten with crisp whole fried fish and a sharp raw pepper sauce. Kenkey takes days to ferment and is sold everywhere ready-made in its husks, so buy it from an African grocer and make the fish and sauce at home. Small whole fish such as tilapia, red snapper or mackerel are scored, seasoned and fried until the skin crackles. The common mistake is moving the fish in the pan too soon; leave it alone until the first side is crisp, or the skin tears and sticks. Chef's tip: dust the fish very lightly with flour after drying it, and it fries crisp without spitting.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the fish
- 4 small whole tilapia or red snapper, gutted and scaledabout 350 g each
- ⅔ oz fresh gingergrated
- 3 cloves garliccrushed
- ½ oniongrated
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
For the raw pepper sauce
- 2 ripe tomatoesquartered
- 1 onionsmall, chopped
- ½ tsp salt
To serve
- 4 tbsp shito (Ghanaian black chilli sauce) (optional)
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Rinse 4 small whole tilapia or red snapper, gutted and scaled inside and out and pat dry with kitchen paper. Cut 3 deep slashes on each side, down to the bone.
Step 2: Mix ⅔ oz fresh ginger, 3 cloves garlic, ½ onion and 2 tsp salt and rub it into the slashes and inside the fish. Cover and leave in the fridge for 20 minutes.
20 minStep 3: For the sauce, grind 2 ripe tomatoes, 1 onion, 4 fresh red chillies, 1 scotch bonnet chilli and ½ tsp salt in an earthenware bowl (asanka) or pulse in a small blender to a coarse, juicy paste. Keep in the fridge until serving.
5 minStep 4: Pat the fish dry again and dust it lightly with 3 tbsp plain flour, shaking off the extra.
Step 5: Heat 2 cups vegetable oil, for frying in a wide, deep frying pan to 350°F, about 2 cm deep, or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds.
5 minStep 6: Lower in two fish, away from you. Fry without moving them for 5–6 minutes, until the underside is crisp and deep golden.
6 minStep 7: Turn carefully with two spatulas and fry for 5–6 minutes more. The fish is done when the flesh at the thickest part by the bone is opaque all the way through and flakes easily. Drain on kitchen paper and fry the rest.
6 minStep 8: Warm 4 Ga kenkey balls, ready-made in its husks in a steamer or microwave for 5 minutes if it is cold. Unwrap and serve each ball with a fish, a heap of pepper sauce and a spoonful of 4 tbsp shito (Ghanaian black chilli sauce).
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 620 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 70 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kenkey with fried fish and pepper sauce take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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