GUINEA-BISSAU: Fish Yassa, Broken Rice, and Black-Eyed Pea Salad (Saludu Nebbe)

This is the second yassa dish I have made on our OWW journey. As with the first (chicken from The Gambia), I was blown away by the flavors given the ease. Delicious! While my family found the salad a bit spicy as is (next time we'll use a milder pepper), I rather loved it. Oddly the NY Times published a recipe for it a few days after I made it and wrote I might use a milder pepper and used a Serrano, so perhaps I was onto something.

I will say, the broken rice does not taste much different from traditional rice. If you can find broken rice in the store, go for it, but in terms of making your own, my call is it's not quite worth the extra time and cleaning.

Fish Yassa

2 lbs skinless white fish filets, such as tilapia, sea bream, or cod

2 medium yellow onions

2 lemons

¼ cup canola oil

1 tablespoon mustard

½ teaspoon paprika, optional

1 Maggi or Knorr bouillon cube

Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Cut the onions in half, and then into half-moon slivers.

2. In a Ziplock large enough to hold the fish and onions, place the juice from the lemons, the oil, the mustard, the paprika, and the bouillon cube. Squeeze the cube to break it up and combine all of the ingredients.

3. Salt and pepper the fish and add to the bag. Add the onions. Gently move around the ingredients to coat all. Marinate in the refrigerator 2 hours to overnight.

4. Heat a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Remove the fish from the bag and set aside. Pour the rest of the contents into the bag and cook over medium heat, stirring every few minutes, until onions soften. When they start to stick, add 1 cup of water and cook further, until onions are soft and sauce thickens slightly.

5. Nestle the fish into the sauce and cook for 7-10 minutes, flipping once partway through, until fish is cooked through.

Broken Rice

1½ cups broken rice or jasmine rice

1. If using broken rice, cook according to package directions. If using jasmine rice, rinse 3-4 times, until water runs clear. Place rinsed rice in a large bowl and cover with water. Soak for 30 minutes.

2. To break the rice, drain it and either put it in a large Ziplock and pound it with the back of a skillet a few times or place in a food processor and pulse a few times.

3. Cook with a 1-to-1 water-to-rice ratio, either in a rice cooker or put the rice and water in a pan, place over high heat, once it comes to a boil, cover, turn heat to lowest setting, and cook for 10-12 minutes.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad (Saludu Nebbe)

1 can black-eyed peas

2½ limes

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

¼ cup olive oil or canola oil

2 scallions

1 red bell pepper

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes

2 large Persian cucumbers

1 habanero or Scotch bonnet chili*

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Rinse and drain the black-eyed peas. Place in a large bowl. Squeeze the limes overtop. Add the chopped parsley.

2. Chop the scallions finely. Core and seed the bell pepper and chop finely. Cut the tomatoes into quarters. Finely chop the cucumbers. Core and seed the chili and mince. Add all to the bowl. Stir. Season to taste.

3. Place in fridge for 2 hours-2 days for flavors to come together.

#womenleaders #yassa #fishyassa #blackeyedpeas #salaudanebbe

FUN FACTS:

• A network of 90 islands off Guinea-Bissau's coast is run by a matriarchal society; women lead in law, the economy, and marriage arrangements.

• About 85% of the population relies on harvesting and selling cashews for some or most of their income.

• On Uno Island in Guinea-Bissau, at some point in their lives, boys must go into the forest for several months to live alone in a ceremony called Vaca Bruto, which means "strong cow." This does not happen at a set age, but when it feels right for the boys.