Last Updated on April 10, 2020 by Chef Mireille
Senegalese Sweet Potato Shrimp Fritters
These fritters come from Senegal’s large Vietnamese community. Celebrate African food – Asian style!
The first time I went to a Senegalese restaurant I was surprised to see things like Spring Rolls on the menu. I would later learn that Senegal has a large Vietnamese population.
Vietnamese in Senegal
So how did the Vietnamese wind up in Senegal?
Senegal is a country located on the northwest coast of Africa with a unique cuisine. Colonized by the French until 1960, there is much French influence as well as Vietnamese (who were also colonized by the French) on the cuisine. As subjects of the French, many Senegalese went to Vietnam to fight Indochina’s quest for independence. Many Senegalese men came back with Vietnamese wives. It’s not uncommon to find noodle dishes and Vietnamese spring rolls in Senegal.
Senegalese Cuisine
Senegal is a primarily Muslim country, so pork is virtually non existent in the cuisine. Due to its coastal location, fish and seafood are the main protein sources, with root vegetables like cassava (yuca), plantain and sweet potatoes as well as legumes like black eyed peas and chick peas.
Couscous, millet and rice are the primary grains eaten. Common vegetables are okra and cabbage. Ginger and mango are dominant in beverages and desserts, as well as coconut.
Peanuts are also prevalent in everything from soup to desserts. Peanut soup is common throughout all of West Africa. This is one of the main exports the slaves brought to the New World. See my Suriname version of Peanut Soup here.
The primary method of cooking is stewing. Chicken Yassa is the national dish, served in a flavorful onion and lemon sauce.
These Senegalese Sweet Potato Shrimp Fritters were one of the dishes I fell in love with when I visited Le Grand Dakar Restaurant here in Brooklyn. Sadly, the restaurant has since closed so the only way I can enjoy delicious Senegalese food is to make it myself or find another restaurant I like as much as Le Grand Dakar.
There are many to choose from in NYC – I just haven’t sampled enough to find one I love yet. When I do, you will be the first to know.
Before we get to today’s delicious recipe, you might like to try some of the other Senegalese dishes I have presented in the past.
Senegalese Recipes
- Tankora Black Eyed Pea Salad
- Caakiri – Couscous Pudding
- Sosu Kaani – Senegalese Hot Sauce
Senegalese Sweet Potato Shrimp Fritters make a great option for brunch or tea time.
The accompanying Nuoc Cham Sauce Recipe is used ubiquitously throughout Vietnamese cuisine.
Of course they are even better when dipped in the Nuoc Cham Sauce.
Senegalese Sweet Potato Shrimp Fritters
Ingredients
Nuoc Cham Sauce Ingredients:
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons water
- 2 finely chopped chillies
- 2 cloves finely chopped garlic
Fritter Ingredients:
- 15 oz. sweet potatoes grated
- 1 lb. shrimp shelled and finely chopped
- 2 scallions finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 beaten egg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Oil for Frying
Instructions
- To make the sauce, combine fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and water in a bowl.
- Whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Add chillies and garlic and stir to combine.
- Leave to rest for at least 15 minutes so that the flavors can develop.
- To make the fritters, combine sweet potato, shrimp, scallions, fish sauce, black pepper and salt.
- Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Add flour, egg and baking powder.
- Mix well until thoroughly combined and the batter starts to stick together.
- Using approximately ½ cup of batter for each fritter, form into 10-12 fritters.
- Heat a shallow skillet with enough oil for shallow frying, about 1” of oil.
- Place fritters in the hot oil and cook on medium heat until fritters are golden brown and a little crispy on each side, approximately 4 minutes on each side.
Nutrition
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Fritters with sweet potato looks delicious..
Very interesting and quite a new fritters for me,loving it.
Fritters looks delicious!!
Although I am not much familiar with this cuisine,I will try to participate…
Event: Cook like a Celebrity Chef
The update is great, gives some insight into Senegalese cuisine. I was so unaware!
Those fritters look amazing! I’ve got the ingredients in the house and shrimp in the freezer, so this is going to be on our menu – thank you. And thank you also for the very informative bits about Senegalese cuisine.
These fritters sound amazing. I didn’t know about the large Asian population in Senegal. Thanks for this informative post.
I love anything fried, esp fritters, and you have that perfectly crisp golden exterior on those. They are gorgeous looking!
thank you so much. Yes these came out great – crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. I even liked them better on day 2 after I reheated them in the oven. They got even more crispy.
I missed that Vietnamese connect in my research. The fritters look so amazing!
THANKS – These are so delicious and yes I always found it so interesting to learn of the Vietnamese connection in Senegal.