Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Calulu de Peixe
A layered island stew of fish and leafy greens with okra and tomato in red palm oil.
São Toméan · medium · serves 6
prep 25 min · cook 60 min
~660 cal · 38g protein · 85g carbs · 21g fat · 19g fiber · 33g sugars · 4g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Calulu is a layered stew from the island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe, combining fish (or sometimes meat) with an abundance of leafy greens, , tomato, and red in a rich, savory pot.
The dish is built up in layers, the greens and cooking down with and dried or fresh fish into something thick and deeply flavored. is fundamental to São Toméan cooking, lending calulu its color and earthy richness.
Served with rice, banana, or , calulu is a festive Sunday dish in São Tomé, the kind of generous stew made for gatherings.
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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 6
1.5 lb fresh fish
6 oz smoked fish
1 lb leafy greens (sweet potato leaf or spinach)
1 cup
3 tomato
1 onion
1/3 cup red
4 cloves garlic
2 bay
1 chili
1 lime
to taste salt and black pepper
for 4 white rice or boiled , to serve
Instructions
1
Soak the smoked fish first to draw out its salt, then layer the greens, onion, tomato, okra, garlic, and bay leaves in a pot.
✎ Chef’s note
Red palm oil is not substitutable here: it gives calulu both its colour and its depth. Soak the dried or smoked fish properly, since it is the flavour base and carries a lot of salt. Calulu is built in layers and barely stirred, so the fish stays in whole pieces rather than breaking apart. Resist the urge to stir it like a stew.
2
Nestle in the fresh and smoked fish (or mushrooms and tofu) among the layers.
3
Pour over the palm oil and a little water, cover, and simmer gently for 40 minutes.
4
Add the chili and lime and adjust the salt.
5
Serve over rice or funge.
São Tomé tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
São Tomé. Sao Tome is an island capital cooking calulu, layered fish or meat with okra, aubergine, and leaves in palm oil. Portuguese and Angolan lines meet over breadfruit, cassava, and the cocoa and pepper the islands grow.
🗺️
São Tomé and Príncipe. São Tomé and Príncipe, the 'chocolate islands,' cook with cocoa, tropical fruit, and Atlantic fish, calulu stew, fried breadfruit, and palm-oil dishes. Portuguese-African roots define the equatorial island table.
🌍
Africa. Much of what reads as timeless African cooking is younger than the Atlantic crossings. Maize, cassava, groundnut, chilli and tomato all arrived from the Americas after 1500 and pushed older crops aside; millet, sorghum, teff, yam and fonio are the ones that were already here, and the map still shows the join.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from São Tomé and Príncipe
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.
Fruta-Pão FritaGolden fried breadfruit, crisp outside and fluffy within, eaten with strong island coffee on São Tomé mornings.
Browse all São Tomé and Príncipe recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
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
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Frequently asked questions
What is Calulu de Peixe?
A layered island stew of fish and leafy greens with okra and tomato in red palm oil.
Where does Calulu de Peixe come from?
Calulu de Peixe is a São Toméan dish from São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe.
Can Calulu de Peixe be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Calulu 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 Calulu 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 Calulu de Peixe take to make?
About 85 minutes total (25 minutes prep, 60 minutes cooking), serving 6.
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