Ivorian · main

Attiéké with Grilled Tilapia

Attiéké with Grilled Tilapia reads sourness 5.7, citrus 5.5 and allium 4.7 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Ivorian main, about 1 hr 16 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 4.3 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 3.0 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 7.4 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 1.3 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 3.5 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 5.4 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Sourness 5.7 · Citrus 5.5 · Allium 4.7 · Heat 4.2 · Salinity 3.9 · Umami 3.0 · Nutty 2.7 · Fruity 2.6 · Richness 2.5 · Warm Spice 2.3 · Sweetness 1.5 · Marine & Briny 1.3 · Bitterness 1.2 · Herbaceous 1.1 · Floral 1.1 · Earthy 0.7

What's in it (14)

• attieke — 600 g
• water — 250 g
• tilapia — 1200 g
• peanut oil — 41 g
• garlic — 6 g
• fresh ginger — 20 g
• salt — 10 g
• ground white pepper — 5 g
• onion — 200 g
• tomatoes — 300 g
• scotch bonnet chillies — 200 g
• bouillon — 4 g
• lime juice — 30 g
• english cucumber — 200 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 16 min (56 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 44.5 kcal, 8.1 g protein, 0.8 g fat, 1.4 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (6 steps)

1. Break up the attieke in a wide bowl, sprinkle over the warm water mixed with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and rake it through with your fingers. Leave 10 minutes to swell.
2. Line a steamer with muslin and steam the attieke 15 to 20 minutes, until it is hot, loose and faintly sour-smelling. Real attieke is a fermented product and should smell of it; the sourness is the marker of the dish, not a fault.
3. Mix the oil, garlic, ginger, remaining salt and white pepper and rub it into the tilapia, working it into the slashes. Leave 20 minutes.
4. Grill the fish over medium charcoal 8 to 10 minutes a side, until the skin is blistered and the flesh at the bone is opaque.
5. For the sauce claire, combine the onion rings, sliced tomatoes, chopped piment, crumbled stock cube, lime juice, 1 tablespoon of the oil and 2 tablespoons of water, and leave the relish to sit 10 minutes so the onion softens slightly.
6. Heap the attieke on a plate, lay the grilled fish alongside, spoon over the raw onion sauce and add the sliced cucumber.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Liboke ya Mbisi (Fish in Banana Leaves) — Congolese
• Banku with Grilled Tilapia and Pepper Sauce — Ghanaian
• Ga Kenkey with Fried Fish and Shito — Ghanaian
• Hilbet (Fenugreek and Fava Bean Paste) — Eritrean
• Goan Fish Curry — Indian

Keep reading: what sourness, citrus, allium mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.