🇸🇹 Sao Tomean Cuisine

Molho de Peixe

Fish in Tomato Sauce

Prep Time 15 min

Servings 4

Difficulty Easy

Calories 352 kcal

Chunks of firm white fish braised in a rich tomato and onion sauce with palm oil, garlic, and malagueta pepper — a classic weeknight dish across Sao Tome.

Ingredients

800g firm white fish fillets, cubed
6 ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp palm oil
1 malagueta pepper, whole
Juice of 2 limes
1 green bell pepper, sliced
Salt and pepper
Cilantro for garnish

Instructions

1 Season fish with lime juice, salt, and pepper. Set aside 15 min.
2 Heat palm oil in a deep skillet. Saute onions, garlic, and bell pepper until soft.
3 Add tomatoes and malagueta pepper. Cook 10 min until sauce thickens.
4 Nestle fish pieces into the sauce. Cover and simmer 12 min until fish is cooked through.
5 Adjust seasoning. Garnish with cilantro.
6 Serve over white rice or coconut rice.

Did You Know?

Every Sao Tomean cook insists their molho de peixe is the best — the secret usually comes down to the quality of the palm oil and the ripeness of the tomatoes.