Ghanaian Garden Egg and Tomato Stew with Smoky Grilled Mackerel

Pat the mackerel dry, season inside and out with salt and half the white pepper, and set aside while you build the stew base.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 whole mackerel, about 12 oz (340 g) each, cleaned and scored
• 1 lb (450 g) garden eggs or small Italian eggplants, stemmed and halved
• 2 lb (900 g) ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 2 large red onions, one chopped and one thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 to 2 scotch bonnet chilies, stemmed
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) palm oil or peanut oil
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• 2 tsp fine sea salt, plus more for the fish
• 1 cup (240 ml) water or light fish stock
• Steamed rice or boiled yams, to serve

Instructions

1. Pat the mackerel dry, season inside and out with salt and half the white pepper, and set aside while you build the stew base.
2. Put the garden eggs in a saucepan with water to cover and a good pinch of salt. Simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until completely soft, then drain, cool slightly and slip off the skins if they are tough. Mash roughly with a fork and set aside.
3. Blend the tomatoes, chopped onion, bell pepper, scotch bonnet, garlic and ginger to a smooth puree. Working in two batches keeps the blender from overflowing.
4. Heat the palm oil in a wide heavy pot over medium-high until it shimmers and just begins to smoke faintly. Stir in the tomato paste and fry for 2 minutes until it darkens to brick red.
5. Pour in the blended puree, stand back from the spatter, and add the remaining white pepper and the salt. Simmer uncovered, stirring every few minutes, for 30 to 35 minutes. The stew is ready when it has reduced by a third and the oil rises in glossy pools at the surface.
6. Fold the mashed garden eggs into the stew with the water and simmer 10 minutes more, until thick enough to hold a spoon trail. Taste and correct the salt.
7. Meanwhile heat a grill to high. Oil the grates well and grill the mackerel for 5 to 6 minutes per side, turning once, until the skin is charred and blistered and the flesh flakes at the thickest point near the backbone.
8. Ladle the stew into wide bowls, lay a whole mackerel over each, and scatter the raw sliced onion on top for bite. Serve with steamed rice or boiled yams and eat with your hands if you like.
9. Garden eggs are the small white and pale-green African eggplants sold in bunches at every Ghanaian market, and this stew is where they land most often. The dish rewards patience at one specific point: frying the tomato base until the oil separates and floats. Ghanaian cooks call that moment the sign the stew is done, and skipping it is the difference between a bright raw sauce and the deep, mellow one that makes this a Sunday dinner.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 690 kcal
• Protein: 48g
• Fat: 42g
• Carbohydrates: 28g
• Fiber: 9g
• Sugar: 15g
• Sodium: 1120mg