Recipe
🥙 LUNCH
Poisson Braisé
Whole fish marinated and grilled over coals, served with fried plantain and a fresh tomato-onion relish, Libreville's classic lunch.
Gabonese · easy · serves 4
prep 20 min · cook 25 min
~644 cal · 53g protein · 54g carbs · 24g fat · 5g fiber · 24g sugars · 5g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Poisson braisé, grilled fish, is the great lunch of Gabon's Atlantic coast, sold sizzling from grills along the streets of Libreville and cooked at home whenever the catch is good. A whole fish is scored, marinated in garlic, ginger, and chili, and grilled over charcoal until the skin blisters and the flesh stays juicy inside.
It comes with two essential companions: sweet fried , and a raw relish of tomato and onion sharpened with lime and hot pepper that Gabonese cooks spoon generously over the fish. Fresh, smoky, and bright, it is unfussy coastal food built entirely around the freshness of the fish and the ease of the grill, the sort of lunch that tastes of the sea and the city at once.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, egg-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
2 lb whole fish, cleaned and scored
3 ripe
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
2 stalks , finely chopped
2 tomatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
1 hot pepper, minced
1 handful fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
1 lime, juiced
3 tbsp oil
Instructions
1
Pound or blend the garlic, ginger, lemongrass, half the lime, oil, and salt into a paste, and rub it into the scored fish, inside and out; rest at least 20 minutes.
2
Grill the fish over hot coals or in a grill pan until the skin chars and the flesh flakes, turning once, about 6 minutes a side.
✎ Chef’s note
Oil the grill and let the skin set before turning, or it will stick and tear.
3
Fry the plantains in oil until golden and sweet on both sides.
4
Make the relish by mixing the tomato, onion, hot pepper, and remaining lime with a pinch of salt.
5
Scatter the fresh cilantro over and serve the fish with the plantains and a generous spoon of the fresh relish.
Libreville street and home cooking.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Libreville. Nyembwe is the palm nut itself, and the sauce is made by boiling the nuts and pressing the pulp off the fibre and stones, which gives a thick orange base rather than an oil. Chicken is the usual meat, though fish is common enough, and it goes with cassava sticks or plantain.
🗺️
Gabon. Nyembwe is named for the palm nut itself, the pulp boiled and pressed into a thick orange sauce, and it is the same preparation the Congos call moambe, so neither country invented it. Baton de manioc is the everyday starch beside it, fermented cassava paste rolled tight in leaves and steamed into a firm stick that keeps for days.
🌍
Africa. Africa's fifty-four nations hold cuisines as different as Morocco's slow-cooked tagines and South Africa's open-fire braai, yet shared threads run through them: ancient grains like millet, sorghum, and teff; stews thickened with groundnut, okra, or palm; and fiery condiments from Tunisian harissa to Ethiopian berbere. Staple starches, fufu, injera, ugali, couscous, anchor communal meals often eaten by hand from a shared dish, where hospitality is a point of honor.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Gabon
Poulet NyembweGabon's national dish: chicken simmered in a rich, tangy sauce of palm-nut pulp with chili and greens.
Bouillie de BananeA smooth Gabonese plantain porridge, gently sweet and spiced, to start a rainforest morning.
Bananes au Four Croustillantes (Crisp Baked Bananas)Bananas rolled in breadcrumbs, fried crisp and baked, then dressed with brown sugar and cool cream, a Gabon classic.
Browse all Gabon recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Grill or barbecue, Blender.
Storing it: Best straight off the heat. Leftovers keep 2 to 3 days refrigerated and reheat well in a hot oven rather than the microwave.
Make it a Gabon meal
Bananes au Four Croustillantes (Crisp Baked Bananas)Dessert
Poisson à l'OdikaDinner
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Frequently asked questions
What is Poisson Braisé?
Whole fish marinated and grilled over coals, served with fried plantain and a fresh tomato-onion relish, Libreville's classic lunch.
Where does Poisson Braisé come from?
Poisson Braisé is a Gabonese dish from Libreville, Gabon.
Can Poisson Braisé be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Poisson Braisé recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Poisson Braisé safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Poisson Braisé take to make?
About 45 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 25 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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