Poisson Capitaine en Feuille de Bananaier (White Grouper in Banana Leaves)
Poisson Capitaine en Feuille de Bananaier (White Grouper in Banana Leaves) is a traditional Burkinabe recipe for a classic dish of white grouper, onion and tomato steamed in banana leaves that are served with garni and a tomato, chilli, okra and peanut butter sauce. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Burkinabe version of: White Grouper in Banana Leaves (Poisson Capitaine en Feuille de Bananaier).
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Capitaine is a name that is applied to several fish in West Africa. These include the Nile Perch, some forms of Tilapia, catfish and the white grouper. This recipe calls for the sea fish, the white grouper. This recipe is common to many West African nations, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo and Togo. The recipe presented here comes from Burkina Faso.
Ingredients:
For the Fish:
600g white grouper fillets or steaks
1 onion, coarsely hopped
3 tomatoes, blanched, peeled and finely chopped
For the Gari and Sauce:
500g gari (cassava flour)
3 tbsp peanut butter
3 tbsp oil
3cm length of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 hot chilli
2 tomatoes, crushed
100g okra, sliced
fresh basil leaves (African blue basil, to be authentic, but Thai basil can be substituted)
salt, to taste
banana leaves or baking parchment to wrap the fish
Method:
For the fish: remove the central vein from the banana leaves then plunge in a pot of boiling water to soften. Spread the leaves out and place one fish fillet or fish steak on each. Season the fish then divide the tomatoes and onions between them. Fold the banana leaves over the fish so that the contents are completely enclosed within. Secure with cocktail sticks. Place in a steamer basket and steam the fish for 30 minutes. If you do not have access to banana leaves you can use kitchen foil or baking parchment to steam the fish in.
For the gari and sauce: Bring 1.5l water to a boil. Remove 300ml and set aside for use as hot water later.
Take the pan off the heat and whilst stirring constantly, add the cassava flour to the remaining water in a slow, steady, stream. Season with a pinch of salt then stir vigorously to prevent lumps from forming. Bring to a boil, cover and cook for 1 minute.
Take of the heat and stir in 200ml warm water. Return to the heat and continue cooking, stirring constantly. If the mixture looks a little dry at this point add some of the reserved hot water. Continue cooking the cassava paste until it's thick enough to hold its shape.
Take off the heat and allow to cool until it can be handled. Using wetted hands shape the cassava mixture into balls and sit on a greased baking tray. Place in an oven to keep warm until needed.
For the sauce, heat the oil in a pan and add the onion and ginger. Dilute the peanut butter in 4 tbsp hot water then add to the pan with the chilli and crushed tomatoes.
Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes then stir in the okra. Immediately take off the heat.
Serve the sauce spooned over the fish. Garnish with basil eaves and serve with the gari balls and any remaining sauce as an accompaniment.
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