West African Tomato Sauce with Shrimp

Spicy Tomato Sauces are a common staple in a lot of West African cuisine as is seafood. West Africans love their seafood since a number of West African countries have cities existing along the coast of the Atlantic ocean so It is not at all uncommon to find West African sauces and stews inundated with a medley of seafood delicacies. As a matter of fact, seafood is so popular in West Africa that powdered dried shrimp or crayfish is often used and sold commercially as a seasoning for native sauces, soups and stews. To bring the essence of a West African cuisine into my cooking, I put together this West African Tomato Sauce using shrimp and palm oil. This tomato sauce is commonly paired with any starchy side like rice, potatoes, West African yams, and plantain. You could even be interesting and eat it with pasta. I served mine with fried plantains and home french fries and of course it wouldn’t be legitimately African without that extra touch of heat that just lends more depth to its fantastic taste!

How to Make Tomato Sauce with Shrimp

Please note that while annatto oil can be used as a substitute for palm oil in this recipe, using palm oil gives a distinct flavor to the sauce that is more authentic to its West African roots.

Simmer Onions in Oil

In a saucepan, heat some palm oil, and simmer onions gently until lightly brown for 20 minutes on low heat (onions should not be caramelized, but only lightly golden brown).

While the onions are simmering, grind the garlic and ginger into a paste (I use a small mortar and pestle to make the ginger garlic paste, but feel free to use a food processor).

Add Tomatoes, Spices and Shrimp

After the onions have simmered for 20 minutes, add the tomatoes, ginger garlic paste, and pepper, then simmer under low-medium heat covered for another 30 minutes. Stir the sauce lightly every 5 minutes to prevent the sauce from burning

While the sauce is simmering, peel and devein the shrimp and set aside.

Once the sauce is almost ready, the oil should start separating from the tomato sauce. At this stage, add the salt and shrimp. Stir and simmer covered for another 5 minutes on low-medium heat.

Serve hot with desired side.

Quite a few West African recipes (like this one) call for a lot of hot pepper, the pepper tends to mellow out in the cooking process. The dish ends up not being as spicy, but the pepper adds a depth of flavor to the dish that would be missing without it. So go ahead and add some in and attempt a ride on the wild side! Enjoy!

Please be sure to rate my recipe and leave a comment below if you tried it! Also while you’re here why not take a quick second and subscribe to my newsletter to get email notifications on new recipes, click the links to FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST or INSTAGRAM? You can catch some behind the scenes action, my shopping hauls, personalized tips and friend-only recipes with videos on my Instagram. Also pin this recipe for later and explore some of my favorite recipes on Pinterest and if you love it as much as I know you will, SHARE with some friends! 

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

West African Tomato Sauce with Shrimp Recipe

To bring the essence of a West African cuisine into my cooking, I put together this spicy shrimp tomato sauce recipe using palm oil.

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Brunch, Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine: African, Nigerian, West African

Servings: 6

Calories: 107.2kcal

Author: Ms. Yum

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1/2 pound of shrimp
• 7 roma- tomatoes chopped
• 1/2 of a red bell pepper chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 thumb size piece of ginger
• 1 habanero pepper
• 3 tbsp palm oil
• 2 tsp salt

Instructions

• In a sauce pan, heat oil, and simmer onions gently until lightly brown for 20 minutes on low heat (onions should not be caramelized, but only lightly golden brown).
• While the onions are simmering, grind the garlic and ginger into a paste (I use a small mortar and pestle to make the ginger garlic paste, but feel free to use a food processor).
• After the onions have simmered for 20 minutes, add the tomatoes, ginger garlic paste, and pepper, then simmer under low-medium heat covered for another 30 minutes. Stir the sauce lightly every 5 minutes to prevent the sauce from burning
• While the sauce is simmering, peel and de-vein the shrimp and set aside.
• Once the sauce is almost ready, the oil should start separating from the tomato sauce. At this stage, add the salt and shrimp. Stir and simmer covered for another 5 minutes on low-medium heat.
• Serve hot with desired side.

Notes

West African Tomato Sauce Calories and Nutrition