Sauce d'Adémé aux Fruits de Mer (Seafood with Adémé Sauce)
Sauce d'Adémé aux Fruits de Mer (Seafood with Adémé Sauce) is a traditional Togolese (from Togo) recipe for a classic stew of ademe leaves, crabs, smoked fish and prawns in a red palm oil base. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Togolese version of: Seafood with Adémé Sauce (Sauce d'Adémé aux Fruits de Mer).
(click this button to prevent the screen from sleeping so Cook Mode is 'ON')
Adémé is a native Togolese green with small leaves. Collard greens or even mature spinach can be substituted.
Ingredients:
600g adémé leaves (this is a native green, substitute collard greens)
1.5cm pice of ginger
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 Togolese blue sea crabs (or any small edible crabs)
12 fresh king prawns, peeled
1 smoked mackerel
pinch of akam (tree bark potash or baking soda)
120ml palm oil
1 fish stock cube
1 hot chilli (Stem removed)
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Wash the ademe leaves well, remove the stalks then finely shred the leaves.
Clean and wash the crabs then cut in half lengthways.
Peel and chop the garlic then pound in a mortar with the onion and garlic (this mixture is termed the n'toutou and is a basic flavouring in Togolese cuisine).
Strip the skin from the mackerel, cut into three pieces and remove any pin bones. Place in a pan, add 300ml water, bring to a boil with a pinch of baking soda. Add the ademe leaves and stir in until the mixture becomes slightly sticky (if you are using collards instead of ademe, add some finely-chopped okra to get the same consistency).
Add the n'touto mixture, the crab halves and the kind prawns. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 5 minutes then add the red palm oil.
Add the whole chilli and then the stock cube. Boil for 5 minutes and serve hot.
)
