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
Freshly caught Red Snapper, fried and served with a Tomato and Onion salad is my idea of bliss on earth , especially when polished off with a glass of chilled Palm wine or White wine.
Most evenings in Ghana, freshly fried Red snappers are displayed amongst other fishes by Kenkey sellers across the country.
Kenkey is made from milled fermented corn which is wrapped in corn husks and steamed to form a pliable dumpling.
KENKEY
Kenkey is best eaten with fried Fish or Seafood with a spicy tomato salsa (raw pepper) and black chilli sauce (Shito) in Ghana.
My obsession with this fish is evident especially when I visit Ghana as I'm guaranteed a freshly caught fish. I tend to buy fried Red Snappers in bulk and enjoy it as a snack, much to my Mums annoyance (as she insisted I cut down on the quantity and leave some for cooking later).
I vividly remember on a holiday to Barbados, I saw a lady clean and gut a large Red snapper (which was freshly caught) , no sooner had I alighted from the car, run to ask how much it was, was I back in the car embarrassed, as she was preparing her dinner and it wasn't for sale.
However in Khao Lak (Thailand) deeply fried, crisp skinned Red Snapper was the only thing I ordered pretty much everyday with a Ginger dressing.
I'm looking forward to visiting Ghana again this year to indulge in my fish eating habit.
With my 'slight' obsession you can imagine my
excitement when I saw this Red snapper at my local fishmongers (knowing it was definitely for sale) and I could indulge myself (without any interruptions).
FRIED RED SNAPPER
After purchasing a few, frying some (all safely eaten), I decided to grill the last one and incorporate some Rosemary (which pairs perfectly with Red Snapper) and Aniseed for an aromatic flavour.
Adding the roasted ripened Plantain to this dish is incredible as it lends its sweetness to the Fish. Please ensure the Plantain is not over ripened. The Plantain should have an even yellow colour as shown below;
RIPENED PLANTAIN
Ingredients
1 large cleaned and gutted fresh Red Snapper
The zest of 1 large Lime.
Slice the remaining Lime into little discs.
1 teaspoon of Aniseed
20g peeled and chopped fresh Ginger
3 sprigs of fresh Rosemary
1 medium sized Onion
2 finely diced Green Chillies (optional)
Salt to taste
2 ripened Plantains
Method
Blend the Ginger, Onion, Aniseed and Chilli together to a smooth paste.
Remove the Rosemary leaves from their stalks and finely chop them.
Marinade the fish with the Ginger mix, Rosemary, the zest of the Lime in a baking tray.
Arrange the Lime discs on top of the fish, as shown above.
Pre heat your grill to 200*c
Peel your ripened Plantain and cut each in half or lengthways.
Place your fish in the grill together with the Plantain and grill for 23-25 minutes.
ROASTED RIPENED PLANTAIN
15 minutes into the cooking time, turn the Plantain on its opposite side for an even cook and grilled marks (for aesthetic purposes).
Serve the grilled Red Snapper and Plantain immediately with either the famous Ghanaian black chilli sauce known as Shito or a tomato stew.
Find various stew recipes on my blog and YouTube page. This recipe will work well with some hot Amokple (Banku), which is available on my YouTube channel below;
I love to hear from you, hence try the recipe and leave comments with your feedback. This encourages me to create more recipes as I know you like them.
All photos and recipes are by the owner of this blog.
