GRILLED TILAPIA WITH SUKONI

Tilapia is a fresh water fish, hence you find them in lakes, ponds, shallow streams etc. Mackerel, Tilapia, Herrings and Tunas are readily available in Ghana, however Tilapia is a personal favourite and for most. It's a meaty fish that grills, roasts, steams,bakes and smokes perfectly. 

Tilapia when salted is known as 'Koobi', (the Ghanaian salted fish) and it's delicious when added to stews and soups. The many uses of Tilapia makes it a popular and diverse fish. Freshly caught Tilapia, marinated in spices and chargrilled is the best you could ever have. 

When next in Ghana, visit the market and buy freshly caught Tilapias from the beautiful and  hardworking ladies.  Char grill using this recipe and thank me later. 

For this recipe, I've named it 'Sukoni' infused , because I used aniseed ,(Sukoni, means Aniseed in my tribal dialect), however you can use cumin as I did in my cookery show. 

Be creative and try using Cardamom, 'sparingly', as it can overpower the flavour of the fish. 

Most of my recipes do suggest alternatives, however if you need 

further suggestions, leave a comment below. 

Tilapia

Ingredients 

4 medium sized Tilapias (cleaned and gutted by your fishmonger)

50g peeled ginger cut into chunks 

1 large white onion, peeled and cut into chunks

4 tablespoonfuls of olive oil / Coconut oil

1 tablespoonful of vinegar 

3 green chillies

1 large clove of garlic 

1 teaspoon in aniseed / cumin / anjwan seeds. 

50g of Coriander (optional)

Half a teaspoon of salt

Method;

Blend the ginger, garlic, onion, aniseed, chillies and coriander into a rough paste. 

Transfer the spice mixture to a bowl 

Add the vinegar and olive oil and mix well. 

Add half a shrimp stock cube (if you're using) and salt to taste. Please use salt sparingly, especially if you're using a stock cube. 

Cumin seeds 

Pre heat your grill to 180*c 

Use a knife to slice the skin of the fish. (Be careful not to cut through)

Pour the marinade over the fish and rub it  through every crevices. 

Marinate for at least an hour in the fridge. 

Remove from the fridge and leave it out for 15 minutes. This brings the fish to room temperature and encourages it to cook evenly. 

This will guarantee you a nice and moist fish. 

Place the fish in an oven proof dish and into the middle part of the oven. 

Grill on each side for 7 minutes. If you're using a charcoal grill, oil your griddle (to avoid the fish sticking into the griddle) or better still wrap it in Banana leaves and chargrill for 6 minutes on each side. 

Serve your grilled Tilapia with Attiéké, Banku, Kenkey, Fried Yam or roast vegetables. 

Wash it down with freshly tapped Palm wine and savour the flavours. 

Recipe for the Attiéké is also available on my blog. 


Click on the link below

http://ndudu-by-fafa.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/attieke.html

All photos and recipes are by the owner of this blog.