The Recipe · No.727 · Thieboudienne

Thieboudienne, and Where to Source It

The prized part is the xooñ, the toasted crust of rice at the bottom of the pot, and it forms only if you cook the rice in the fish-and-tomato broth undisturbed and let the base catch and crisp at the end. The fish is stuffed with a green rof paste of parsley, garlic, and chili, which perfumes the whole braise from the inside.

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Published July 2026 · Sourcing verified 5 Jul 2026

Prep40 min
Cook1 hr 20 min
Makes6 servings
CuisineSenegalese
Part One
The Ingredients — and where to get them
Firm white fish
Thick steaks of grouper or snapper that hold up to braising. Wild-caught fish has the best texture.
2 lb
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Broken rice
Traditional broken rice drinks up the broth and forms the crust. Long-grain works if that is what you have.
3 cups
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Tomato paste
Fried down dark for the deep red braise. A concentrated tomato builds the color.
1/3 cup
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Mixed vegetables
Cassava, carrot, cabbage, and eggplant braised whole in the broth. Fresh, bought local.
6 cups
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Parsley, garlic and chili
Pounded into the green rof stuffing for the fish. Fresh and pungent.
to taste
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One list, with a link to where to buy each one.
Part Two
The Method
  1. Stuff the fishPound parsley, garlic, and chili into a rof paste and press it into slits cut in the fish.
  2. Build the brothFry tomato paste dark, add water, and braise the fish and vegetables until tender, then lift them out.
  3. Cook the riceCook the broken rice in the strained broth, covered and undisturbed, so it absorbs the color and flavor.
  4. Crisp the crustLet the base catch into a toasted xooñ, then serve the rice topped with the fish and vegetables.
Part Three
The Toolkit

Wide pot · Mortar · Fine strainer

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