Grilled chilli ginger snapper with Jollof rice

The second recipe of HP doesn't need much introduction to those in the know about Ghanaian food, but for those newbies and lurkers amongst us it's easy enough to whisk up, using simple, fresh ingredients and a bit of time in the ktichen. Snapper and Tilapia are a staple fish in Ghana whilst Jollof rice is the Paella of West Africa, eaten with just about everything and each country has its own rendition.

Ingredients


1 medium to large red snapper
1 large clove of garlic
1/2 tps freshly grated hot ginger (easily obtained from any African market, although standard ginger will suffice)
1/2 tps hot chili flakes (a touch more, if you like it hot!)
1 tbs peanut/ground nut oil
1 tbs water
Generous pinch of salt and black pepper.


For the rice


250 grams long grain rice
1 250 gram carton of sieved tomaotes
1 finely chopped white onion
1 level tps salt
1 tps black pepper
1 tps ground coriander

1/2 green or yellow pepper.

Begin by washing and liberally covering the snapper with the salt and black pepper, making sure to cover the inside of the fish. Grate the ginger and garlic into a small bowl and add the chilli, oil and water and mix together. Brush mixture over fish and begin grilling for about 15 minutes on a bed of foil on a medium heat making sure to turn halfway.

For the rice, start by finely dicing the onion and adding to a large pan and then frying in a little oil until onions start to soften slightly. Next, add the carton of tomatoes, then add the salt and black pepper and ground coriander to the pan and heat for roughly 5 minutes on a medium heat and stir once to prevent sticking.

Boil 500 ml of water and add to the pan along with the rice, turn the heat up a notch, stir and cover. Now, check periodically as the rice will absorb the water and tomatoes turning a deep orange, this usually takes around 20 minutes, but times can vary slightly. Be careful to stir the rice only once or twice during cooking time, or the rice can become mushy. Add the chopped peppers with 10 minutes of cooking time left. Don't forget to check the snapper!

As an addition, I like to add a splash of colour in the way of a really quick and easy salad of tomatoes and red onion. Simply chop a bunch of cherry tomatoes and a small red onion and add to a bowl, sprinkle generously with aromat seasoning and 1 tbs of garlic oil and a handful of freshly chopped coriander. Of course this dish is delicious, but aesthetically, I love the riot of earthy, fresh colours - the contrast of the deep orange Jollof rice with the crispy speckled skin of the fish.