Samaki wa Kupaka
Coconut-Grilled Fish
The dish the Swahili coast is known for. Fish is grilled once, painted with a thick coconut sauce, then grilled again so the sauce catches and darkens at the edges. Kupaka means to smear — and that is the whole technique.
Ingredients
- 1 whole fish, about 1–1.5 kg, cleaned and scored on both sides
- 400 ml thick coconut milk (tui la kwanza)
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 thumb ginger, grated
- 2 tbsp tamarind paste (ukwaju)
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 red chillies (pilipili), chopped
- Juice of 2 limes
- Salt to taste
- Oil for the grill
Method
- Score the fish three or four times on each side, cutting to the bone. Rub with lime juice, salt and half the turmeric. Leave 20 minutes.
- Grill over medium charcoal for 6–8 minutes a side, until just cooked and lightly coloured. Do not cook it through — it goes back on the fire later.
- While it grills, make the sauce. Fry the garlic, ginger and chilli in a little oil for two minutes until fragrant.
- Add the remaining turmeric and the cumin, stir for thirty seconds, then pour in the coconut milk and the tamarind. Simmer gently, uncovered, 10–15 minutes until it thickens enough to coat a spoon.
- Taste. It should be sour, sweet, salty and hot all at once. Adjust with lime, salt or chilli.
- Paint the fish generously with the sauce on both sides. Return to the fire for 3–4 minutes a side, painting again each time you turn it, until the edges darken.
- Serve with the remaining sauce poured over, alongside coconut rice and kachumbari.
Tips from the counter
- Use the first pressing of the coconut — tui la kwanza — for the sauce. The second pressing is too thin and will not cling to the fish.
- If the sauce splits, take it off the heat and whisk in a spoonful of cold coconut milk.
- No charcoal? A very hot oven grill works, but you lose the smoke, which is half the dish.
