-
1
Cook the Banku
30 Mins
Medium heat, ~100°C (212°F)
Bring the remaining 400 ml of water to a boil in a heavy pot, then pour in the cornmeal and cassava batter, stirring hard with a wooden spoon so no lumps form. Lower the heat and keep stirring and folding for 20–25 minutes, adding splashes of warm water when the dough stiffens, until it is smooth and stretchy. Wet your hands, divide the dough into 4 balls, and keep them warm, wrapped in cling film or a damp cloth.
Banku is done when it pulls away from the sides of the pot in one smooth mass — if it still sticks in streaks, keep stirring for a few more minutes.
Done when: Smooth, stretchy dough with a gentle sour tang, holding its shape as a ball; no lumps and no raw flour taste.
-
2
Blend the Fresh Pepper Sauce
5 Mins
Room temperature, ~20°C (68°F)
Blend 200 g of the tomatoes with 100 g of the onion, 5 g of scotch bonnet, 5 g of ginger and 1 g of salt into a coarse, pourable sauce. Taste and add a pinch more salt if it needs it — it should be bright, hot and a little chunky, not smooth like ketchup.
Blend in short pulses and stop while it is still coarse; a fully smooth sauce loses the fresh, raw bite that makes it work with grilled fish.
Done when: A coarse, vivid red sauce that pours slowly off a spoon, with visible flecks of tomato and chilli.
-
3
Grill the Tilapia
16 Mins
Medium-high grill, ~200°C (400°F)
Heat the grill — charcoal if you have it — and brush the grates with oil. Lay the fish on the hot grill and cook for 8 minutes without moving it, then brush with oil, turn once, and grill 8 minutes more until the skin is charred at the edges and the flesh is opaque.
Do not move the fish for the first few minutes — the skin releases from the grate on its own once it has crisped, and forcing it tears the flesh.
Done when: The skin is crisp and charred at the edges, the flesh flakes easily with a fork and reaches 63°C (145°F) at the thickest part.
-
4
Rest and Plate
5 Mins
Resting off the heat, ~60°C (140°F)
Rest the fish for 3 minutes, then plate each one whole with a ball of hot banku, a spoonful of shito and a ladle of the fresh pepper sauce. Scatter the sliced onion, tomato, green pepper and cucumber over and around the fish.
Resting keeps the fish juicy — cut into it too soon and the juices run onto the plate instead of staying in the flesh.
Done when: The fish is hot through, the skin is still crisp, the banku is steaming and the garnish is fresh and bright.
-
5
Serve at the Table
0 Mins
Serve hot, ~60°C (140°F)
Bring the plates to the table at once with the shito bowl and the pepper sauce jug, so everyone seasons their own plate. Eat with your hands, tearing off pieces of banku to scoop up the fish and sauce, the way it is eaten in Accra.
Grilled fish waits for no one — serve it the moment it is plated, while the skin is still crisp and the banku is hot.
Done when: The skin is still crisp, the banku is hot and soft, and the sauces are on the table.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve each whole tilapia hot with a ball of banku, shito and fresh pepper sauce, the sliced onion, tomato, pepper and cucumber scattered over the fish.
Ghana
1h 40m
