🇹🇩 Chadian Cuisine

Salanga

Smoked Dried Fish

Prep Time 20 min
Servings 4
Difficulty Easy
Calories 181 kcal

Small fish from Lake Chad and rivers, dried and smoked over wood fires until intensely flavored and shelf-stable. Salanga is eaten as a snack, crumbled into sauces, or grilled and served with chili pepper paste.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1 Select dried smoked fish that are firm, golden-brown, and have a clean smoky aroma without any off-putting smell.
  2. 2 Lightly brush the dried fish with vegetable oil to prevent burning and to help the seasonings adhere during grilling.
  3. 3 Grill the smoked fish over medium heat for five to seven minutes, turning once, until heated through and slightly crispy on the outside.
  4. 4 Squeeze lemon juice over the grilled fish and sprinkle with chili powder and salt to taste.
  5. 5 Serve whole with fresh onion rings on the side, or crumble and use as a flavorful addition to sauces and stews.

Did You Know?

Salanga is so important to the Chadian economy that the fish markets of N'Djamena have an entire section dedicated to these dried fish, traded across borders into Nigeria, Cameroon, and beyond.