The fish pepper soup is made with fresh fish, warming spices and lively herbs, offering spicy, comfortable and flavorful goodness. This West African staple food is known for its Spicy kickthank you to Scotch Bonnet Peppers. Its aromatic bases often include inger, garlic and topically available spices.
Traditionally an appetizer or main course, we love the fish pepper soup due to its refreshing heat and recovery quality. This Lenten essential is perfect for cool weather. Complete simplicity using fresh ingredients creates layers of flavor in a short amount of time.
Additionally, this African fish soup can easily be adapted to your personal preferences, including spice levels. It’s one of the recipes you can switch between each time you make it, depending on what you have in the fridge and how you feel about that particular day.
Which fish work in fish pepper soup?
A solid white fish works well in this pepper soup. You can use tilapia or cloakers, but catfish pepper soup is very popular! Use your favorite fish or anything you have on hand. Cameroonian and Nigerian pepper soups are similar.
How to make fish pepper soup
Traditional methods
- Blooms the spices – Heat the pan in 1 tablespoon of oil and add garlic, ginger, bay leaf, paprika and chili pepper. Fry everything for about 1 minute. (Photo 1)
- addition Flavor – Then throw onions, celery, white pepper, green onions, bouillon powder and other spices. Continue stirring for another minute. (Photo 2)
- Simmer – Add 3-4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes. (Photo 3-4)
- fish – Add fish, basil and salt. Continue cooking until the fish is cooked (more than 10 minutes) and add more water if necessary.
- Adjust – Give a taste test and adjust the seasoning and thickness of the soup with water and spices. Remove the bay leaves.
- serve Boiled green plantains, rice, or alone. (Photo 4)
Quick Method
- spices – Place all the spices (except bay leaf) in a blender or food processor. Pulse until everything is puree.
- Simmer – Place the blended spices in a pan with bay leaves and add 3-4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Then add the fish and continue cooking until the fish is cooked. Throw away the bay leaves.
- Adjust Seasoning and thickness as needed.
- serve hot. enjoy!
Flavor variations
- Add other seafood. Seafood medleys add a variety of textures and flavors to make them even better special occasion dishes.
- I’ll make it creamy. Add coconut milk to give this soup a creamy texture with a rich, slightly sweet flavor.
- I’ll make it thicker. This soup can be thickened with mixed vegetables like tomatoes and onions, giving it a light stew-like consistency.
- Add more depth. Use fish or chicken as a base, not regular water. The homemade soup adds a subtle richness to make the soup even more flavorful.
Recipe Notes
- Fresh fish is the key to flavor and texture. Fresh frozen works too. Choose hard white fish, such as tilapia, catfish, snappers, and sea bass. 🐟
- Bone fish enhances the flavor of the soup, but the fillet is suitable for a more refined version.
- Scotch Bonnet or Habanero Peppers are traditional due to their intense heat, but they can easily overwhelm the dish. Start with a small amount and add more to the flavor. For mild soups, remove the seeds from the peppers or use only half of them.
Makeup and storage instructions
To make this dish in advance, cook the soup and refrigerate or freeze it. This will blend the flavor for an even more flavorful base. When ready to serve, reheat until the soup is gentle simmered, add the fresh fish and cook until finished. Doing so will prevent the fish from becoming too soft or losing delicate texture.
Transfer the fish pepper soup with the fish already in it into an airtight container and refrigerate. It can last for 2-3 days in the fridge. The fish can become slightly softer over time, but the flavor should be tasty.
Gently reheat the fish pepper soup over medium heat to prevent the fish from cooking. If the soup gets thicker, you can also add a splash of water or stock.
What is Fake Pepper Soup?
The fish pepper soup pairs beautifully with traditional mauve colour for a real experience. For an extra touch, pair it with Njama Njama (fried greens) and root your diet in African flavors. Alternatively, it can be served with tossed salad and crusty garlic bread for an American twist.
You can try a more spicy African soup recipe
Africa boasts many soup recipes, but here are some.
By today
See how to make it
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This blog post was originally published in February 2015 and updated with additional tips, new photos and videos
