Capitaine Sauce Tomate (Malian Fish in Tomato Sauce) with Rice

Ingredients

• 600 g cod loins
• 2 onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• 400 g chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 red pepper
• 1 scotch bonnet chilli
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 lemon
• 300 g long-grain rice

Method

1. 1

   Capitaine is Nile perch from the Niger river; thick cod loin is the closest supermarket swap. Cut the fish into 4 pieces, squeeze over half the lemon, season with salt and leave while you make the sauce.

2. 2

   Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the sliced onions and sliced red pepper and cook for 8 minutes until soft. Add the crushed garlic, chopped scotch bonnet and tomato purée and fry for 2 minutes.

3. 3

   Add the chopped tomatoes, bay leaves and 150ml water and simmer for 15 minutes until thick. Season with salt.

4. 4

   Meanwhile, rinse the rice and simmer it in 600ml lightly salted water, covered, for 12-15 minutes until tender.

5. 5

   Pat the fish dry. Heat the remaining oil in a non-stick pan over a medium-high heat and fry the fish for 2 minutes each side until golden.

6. 6

   Slide the fish into the tomato sauce, spoon some over the top, cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes until opaque all the way through and it flakes easily. Serve straight away with the rice and the remaining lemon in wedges. Cool any leftover rice quickly.