Prized Catch · Grilled White Grouper
Thiof
Photo: Ángeles Jurado Quintana / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
The fish is so prized that 'thiof' is Senegalese slang for a highly eligible man — while overfishing has made the real thing scarce and expensive off Dakar.
White grouper is scored, rubbed with a garlic-chili paste, marinated briefly and grilled whole over charcoal until the skin chars and the flesh flakes cleanly. Women grill it fresh at stalls around Dakar's Soumbédioune fish market, usually served with little more than onions and lime.
Why it's made this way: Thiof is the most prized catch of Dakar's Lébou fishing communities, and its simple charcoal-grilled preparation reflects a local belief that exceptional fresh fish needs minimal interference.
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