Fufú

Ingredients

Fish

• 1 kgfirm white fish (snapper, corvina or grouper), in steaks, bones kept
• juice of 2 limes
• 1 tspsalt

The pot

• 3 tbspoil
• 1onion, chopped
• 1green pepper, chopped
• 4garlic cloves, crushed
• 2tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsptomato paste
• 1 tspground cumin
• 6 sprigsculantro or coriander
• 800 mlcoconut milk
• 600 mlwater or fish stock
• 1whole scotch bonnet, unbroken

Provision

• 2green plantains, in thick slices
• 400 gcassava, peeled and cut into chunks, woody core removed
• 300 gyam or ñame, in chunks
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Rub the fish with the lime juice and salt and leave it in the fridge while you build the pot. The acid firms the flesh so it holds together in the stew rather than shredding.
2. Soften the onion and pepper in the oil for 8 minutes, then add the garlic, cumin and tomato paste and fry for 2 minutes until the paste darkens. Add the chopped tomato and cook down to a thick base.
3. Pour in the water and coconut milk, add the culantro and the whole scotch bonnet, and bring to a bare simmer. Do not let it boil hard — coconut milk splits when it is bullied.
4. Add the cassava and green plantain and cook for 15 minutes, then the yam, and cook for a further 12–15 minutes until everything is tender and the broth has thickened from the starch.
5. Slide the fish steaks in, pushing them under the surface, and poach for 8–10 minutes until just opaque at the bone. Do not stir after this point or the fish will break up.
6. Lift out the chilli and the culantro stalks, season with salt and pepper, and serve in deep bowls with a piece of fish, plenty of provision and broth in each.

Technique

• The starch from the cassava and plantain is the thickener; there is no flour in this. If it is still thin, crush a couple of pieces against the pot.
• Cassava’s fibrous central core stays woody however long it cooks. Pull it out before the chunks go in.

Substitutions

• Any firm white fish works; soft fish falls apart.
• Taro or sweet potato can replace the yam.

Variations

• Cooked in Panama’s Afro-Antillean communities on the Caribbean coast. The name carries over from West African fufu by way of the islands, though the dish is a soup rather than a pounded dough.

History

Cooked in Panama’s Afro-Antillean communities on the Caribbean coast; the name carries over from West African fufu by way of the islands.

Frequently asked questions

What is Fufú?

Fufú is a soup & stew from Panama: coconut milk fish soup with green plantain and tubers. Cooked in Panama’s Afro-Antillean communities on the Caribbean coast; the name carries over from West African fufu by way of the islands.

How long does Fufú take to make?

Fufú takes 30 min of preparation and 45 min of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Fufú?

Yes, within limits. Any firm white fish works; soft fish falls apart. Taro or sweet potato can replace the yam.

What is the most important thing to get right in Fufú?

Rub the fish with the lime juice and salt and leave it in the fridge while you build the pot. The acid firms the flesh so it holds together in the stew rather than shredding.