Omena
Fried silver fish with tomato
Lake Victoria silver fish fried and simmered with onion and tomato, served with ugali
Omena are tiny silver cyprinid fish netted at night on Lake Victoria and sun-dried on the shores around Kisumu and Homa Bay; in western Kenya they are a cheap, protein-rich weeknight dinner, fried crisp and then simmered briefly in onion and tomato and eaten with ugali and sukuma wiki. They are eaten whole, bones and all, like whitebait. The common mistake is skipping the rinse: dried omena carry sand from the drying beaches, so soak and swish them in several changes of warm water. Chef's tip: fry the drained fish on their own until crisp and fragrant before the tomato goes in; it takes away the strong 'lake' smell and keeps them from going mushy. Look for dried omena (also sold as dagaa) in African grocers.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 9 oz dried omena (dagaa)
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onionssliced
- 2 garlic cloveschopped
- 3 tomatoeschopped
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 green chilli (optional)sliced
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup water
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander (optional)chopped
- ½ lemon (optional)juiced
To serve
- 1 ¾ lb ugali (stiff maize porridge) (optional)hot, or rice
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 9 oz dried omena (dagaa) in a large bowl of warm water, swish them around and leave for 5 minutes. Lift them out into a sieve, leaving the grit behind, and repeat with fresh water until the water stays clear. Drain well and pat dry.
8 minStep 2: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a wide pan over a medium-high heat. Add the fish and fry, stirring often, until they are crisp, golden and smell nutty rather than fishy, 5–6 minutes. Lift them onto a plate.
6 minStep 3: In the same pan, fry 2 onions and 2 garlic cloves until soft and golden at the edges, 4 minutes.
4 minStep 4: Add 3 tomatoes, 1 tbsp tomato purée, 1 green chilli and ½ tsp salt and cook, mashing with the spoon, until the tomatoes break down into a thick sauce.
3 minStep 5: Return the fish, add ½ cup water and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring gently, until the sauce clings to them. Taste for salt, finish with 2 tbsp fresh coriander and ½ lemon, and serve hot with 1 ¾ lb ugali (stiff maize porridge).
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 33 g
- Carbs
- 11 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does omena take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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