Congolese Makayabu (Salt Fish)

 Angelique Bitshiluala moved to Maine from the Democratic Republic of Congo and submitted this recipe. I was unable to locate the seasoning called for, Maggi seasoning, but was able to use Tamari sauce instead. We also don't have amaranth leaves or fried plantains in this region, so had to do without.

Even so, this salt cod recipe compares favorably with the other salt cod recipe in this cookbook (see my blog on Salt Cod). I've never fried fish without a breading, so that was decidedly new for me. And I do wonder if a breading might have kept it moist. The fish was a little too dry/chewy for me, but maybe I overcooked it. We don't do much frying in this household, so I have limited experience in judging when to pull fish out of the oil.

I loved cooking the eggplant, bell pepper, onions, and garlic in the olive oil. It just looked joyous, all jumbled together, with the bright red of the bell pepper as the vegetable star. I'm personally not an eggplant fan, but the Resident Archaeologist loves 'em. And I have to admit that when you put this all together, the eggplant is not an overpowering flavor, such that even I liked it, mixed in with the other ingredients.

I'd like to try this recipe again, with the full experience of amaranth leaves and fried plantains. And maybe bread the fish before frying. Salt cod is not going to replace my love of fresh fish anytime soon, but it was actually really cool to experience eating fish that was packed who knows how long ago, and the "freshness" sticker on the wooden box indicated it was good until the year 2022. Thanks to salt, people were able to enjoy fish at all times of the year, prior to the advanced technology of refrigeration. And we continue to enjoy this ancient method of food preservation in the 21st century!



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