Mauritania | Main dish

Mauritanian Fish Rice

Mauritanian fish rice with tomato-rich broth, fried fish, cabbage, carrots, eggplant, okra, and rice cooked in the sauce.

Country
Mauritania
Region
West Africa
Time
110 min
Serves
8
Level
hard
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Recipe overview

What to know before you cook

Use this overview to check the occasion, serving ideas, regional context, and cooking commitment before you begin.

When to cook it

Best for Lunch gatherings. Plan on a hard cook and about 110 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Chile paste, lime wedges, cucumber salad, or extra fried fish

Follow the collection

Mauritanian Fish Rice appears in 2 AfroKitchen collections. Start with Sunday Specials if you want more dishes in the same mood. Sunday Specials

Regional lane

Mauritania national table. A structured Mauritania dish in the AfroKitchen archive.

Chef watch-outs
  • Adding too much liquid after the rice goes in.
  • Stirring too often once the grains should be steaming.
  • Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
How you know it is ready
  • The grains should be tender but still distinct, with steam carrying the seasoning upward.
  • The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
  • Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.
Recipe photos

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Mauritanian Fish Rice recipe from Mauritania
Mauritanian Fish Rice finished dish
Chef board

Build the table around Mauritanian Fish Rice

Chile paste, lime wedges, cucumber salad, or extra fried fish

Best route from here

Mauritania national table

Collections to keep cooking
One-Pot Family Meals
Servings 8

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

How to cook it

Step-by-step method

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Mauritania
6 steps 35 min prep 75 min cook 110 min total hard
1
Season fish
Pound parsley, garlic, chile, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Rub it into the scored fish and rest briefly.
Season fish 15:00
2
Brown fish
Heat oil in a wide pot and brown the fish on both sides. Remove it before it flakes apart.
Brown fish 10:00
3
Build broth
Cook onions, tomato paste, and chopped tomatoes until the paste darkens. Add water or fish stock.
Cook tomato base 10:00
4
Cook vegetables
Add carrots, cabbage, eggplant, okra, and sweet potato or cassava if using. Simmer until just tender, then lift out with the fish.
Simmer vegetables 25:00
5
Cook rice
Stir rinsed rice into the seasoned broth. Cover and cook low until the rice absorbs the sauce.
Cook rice 30:00
6
Assemble platter
Mound rice on a platter and arrange fish and vegetables over the top. Serve with chile paste or lemon.

Every household has small variations. Start here, then adjust seasoning, heat, and serving sides to your kitchen.

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