Thieboudienne — Senegalese Grouper Steaks & Broken Rice

Ingredients

• 1¼ lb Grouper Steaks, in thick steaks or pieces
• 1½ cups broken rice (or short-grain rice, rinsed)
• 3 Carrots, cut in thick batons
• ½ head Cabbage, in wedges
• 1 bunch parsley, ½ bunch stemmed for the stuffing
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 Scotch bonnet, left whole
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 onion, sliced
• ¼ cup neutral oil
• 1 tbsp fish bouillon or 2 tsp salt
• 4 cups water

Method

1. Pound the stemmed parsley, garlic, and a big pinch of salt into a rough green paste. Cut a deep pocket in each piece of Grouper Steaks and pack the paste inside — this stuffing, called rof, is what makes the dish taste Senegalese.
2. Brown the Grouper Steaks in the oil over medium-high just until the surface sets, about 2 minutes per side, then lift it out. It finishes later.
3. Soften the onion in the same oil, add the tomato paste, and fry it hard for 4 minutes until it darkens from red to brick and smells sweet instead of tinny. Add the water, the whole Scotch bonnet, and the bouillon.
4. Simmer the Carrots and Cabbage in that broth until a knife slides in with slight resistance, 12–15 minutes, then remove them to a plate. Return the Grouper Steaks and poach gently 8–10 minutes until it flakes at 145°F (63°C) in the center; lift it out too.
5. Measure the broth — you want about 3 cups left — and stir in the rice. Cover and cook over low heat 20–25 minutes until the grains are tender and the bottom layer crusts slightly. Mound the rice on a platter, arrange the Grouper Steaks and vegetables on top, and burst the Scotch bonnet only if your table is brave.