Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Blá-Blá de Peixe
A simple island stew of fresh or smoked fish simmered with tomato, onion and red palm oil, served with boiled banana or breadfruit.
São Toméan · easy · serves 4
prep 15 min · cook 40 min
~389 cal · 39g protein · 9g carbs · 21g fat · 2g fiber · 5g sugars · 4g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
↓ Jump to Recipe
AI-generated illustration
Blá-blá is a homely fish stew from São Tomé and Príncipe, the tiny volcanic islands in the Gulf of Guinea where the sea and the palm groves set the pantry. Fresh or smoked fish is simmered in a base of onion, tomato and red until the sauce and concentrates around it.
It is plainer and quicker than the islands' famous calulu, which layers fish with , eggplant and greens, and it changes from household to household and with whatever the market brings that day. Red gives it colour and a distinctive richness, the same oil that runs through the archipelago's cooking.
It is served with boiled or , or with angú, the mashed-starch staple that soaks up the sauce.
Saved recipes and passport stamps are kept on this device. Sign in to keep them across your devices and leave reviews.
Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- 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
1.5 lb firm fish, fresh or smoked, in pieces
3 tbsp red
1 onion, chopped
4 tomatoes, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 chili, chopped
to taste salt and pepper
Instructions
1
If using smoked fish, soak it in warm water for 20 minutes and pick out the bones.
2
Cook the onion, garlic and chili in the palm oil until soft and aromatic.
3
Add the tomatoes and cook down to a thick sauce, about 8 minutes.
4
Nestle in the fish (or mushrooms and tofu) with a splash of water, cover, and simmer gently until the fish is cooked and the sauce is concentrated, about 20 minutes.
✎ Chef’s note
Do not stir hard once the fish is in, or it breaks up. Shake the pot instead to keep the pieces whole.
5
Season and serve with boiled green banana, breadfruit or angú.
São Tomé island home cooking.
Ratings & reviews
Cooked it? Rate this dish:
No account needed. Sign in to leave a full review with a comment.
Cooked it?
Kept on this device, no account needed. Sign in to leave a review and keep your passport across your devices.
No reviews yet, be the first to cook it.
🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
São Tomé. Calulu is shared with Angola rather than owned here, and it is a layering job: fish or meat set down with okra, the small local aubergine called maqueque and a long list of local leaves, then palm oil poured over and the whole thing cooked slowly, seasoned with grains of paradise.
🗺️
São Tomé and Príncipe. Calulu is shared with Angola rather than being Sao Toemean alone, but the local version is specific: local leaves including mussua, otagi and guava sprouts, the small aubergine called maqueque, dried and smoked fish, palm oil, and grains of paradise in the seasoning, cooked down and served with a maize or banana funge.
🌍
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 São Tomé and Príncipe
Calulu de PeixeA layered island stew of fish and leafy greens with okra and tomato in red palm oil.
Peixe GrelhadoWhole fish marinated in lime and garlic, grilled over charcoal and served with a fresh chili and herb molho de pimenta.
Arroz de FolhaSeasoned rice bloomed in red palm oil, parcelled in banana leaves and steamed until the leaf perfumes the grain, a festive Santomean dish.
Browse all São Tomé and Príncipe recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a São Tomé and Príncipe meal
Chocolate Quente de São ToméDrink
Sonhos de Banana (Banana Fritters)Dessert
Arroz de FolhaLunch
Similar dishes from around the world
Poisson à l'OdikaGabon
Konkoé (Smoked Catfish Stew)Guinea
Bahamian Stew FishBahamas
Renga RengaBurundi
Ngai NgaiRepublic of the Congo
Kansiyé de Poisson (Fish in Peanut Sauce)Guinea
Cuisine
Diet
Gluten-Free Recipes from Around the World
Dairy-Free Recipes from Around the World
Nut-Free Recipes from Around the World
Egg-Free Recipes from Around the World
Pork-Free Recipes from Around the World
Gluten-Free São Toméan Recipes
Dairy-Free São Toméan Recipes
Gluten-Free Dinners from Around the World
Dairy-Free Dinners from Around the World
Nut-Free Dinners from Around the World
Egg-Free Dinners from Around the World
Frequently asked questions
What is Blá-Blá de Peixe?
A simple island stew of fresh or smoked fish simmered with tomato, onion and red palm oil, served with boiled banana or breadfruit.
Where does Blá-Blá de Peixe come from?
Blá-Blá de Peixe is a São Toméan dish from São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe.
Can Blá-Blá de Peixe be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Blá-Blá de Peixe 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 Blá-Blá de Peixe 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 Blá-Blá de Peixe take to make?
About 55 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 40 minutes cooking), serving 4.
Get the Sunday Spin
One dish from somewhere in the world, in your inbox every Sunday. No spam, just dinner inspiration you can cook that day.