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Caldo (Tangy Steamed Fish Stew with Lemon-Mustard Sauce)

Name: Caldo (Tangy Steamed Fish Stew with Lemon-Mustard Sauce)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Gambia
Ingredients: 800 g whole white sea bass or red snapper, scaled, gutted, and scored diagonally; 60 ml freshly squeezed lime juice; 45 g strong Dijon mustard or Senegalese spicy brown mustard; 350 g white onions, sliced into thin rings; 15 g garlic, finely pounded to a paste; 2 pieces whole yellow scotch bonnet peppers; 80 ml peanut oil or neutral sunflower oil; 250 ml water; 100 g African bitter tomatoes (jaxatu / garden eggs), halved; 2 pieces dried bay leaves; 5 g coarsely ground black peppercorns; fine sea salt, to taste

Crisp whole sea bass gently poached in an assertive, citrusy emulsion of caramelized onions and sharp mustard.

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The story

Caldo is the culinary signature of the coastal Jola fishermen along the southern shores of the River Gambia and Casamance borders. Served as a restorative midday lunch, the stew highlights the daily catch straight from wooden pirogues into the pan. Traditional Jola home cooks use the high acidity of freshly squeezed Key limes to chemically temper the strong oiliness of marine fish while thickening the onion sauce without starches.

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