Nigerian dry fish pepper soup

Nigerian dry fish pepper soup is a spicy light Nigerian soup. The drying of the fish concentrates the flavour and gives the resultant broth a rich fish flavour which blends with the spices to produce ladles full of soul-satisfying pleasure. It is a welcoming dish for guests especially during festive periods like Christmas etc

Nigerian pepper soup is generally prepared using different cuts and types of meat and fish. Very popular in homes, restaurants, roadside bukas or hotels. Hardly any part of the meat or fish is spared from the pepper soup pot, though most times different animals might require different spices to compliment their taste. My Renaissance Man does not joke with pepper soup. He can drink pepper soup every day for months on end without getting tired of it, and he cooks it so well.

The blend of spices and herbs greatly determine the successful outcome of the soup. In order to make your pepper soup taste exceptional, less is more. Don’t dump every available spice into it because it is the meat or fish broth you are spicing, so you actually want to know and taste the presence of the meat and fish. Some of the different kinds of pepper soup include goat meat, goat offal and goat head, beef, cow offal, cow foot, stockfish, bush meat, chicken, fresh fish (point and kill), snail etc.

This recipe is very simple and mild, which will suit any taste bud. The spicing can be adjusted to personal preference.

To prepare Nigerian Dry fish pepper soup

150g dry fish
1/2 small onions (30g)
salt
scotch bonnet or Cameroon pepper
1 seasoning cube
1 teaspoon ground uziza*
1 stick Uda*
1 tablespoon ground crayfish
okpei 
1 teaspoon palm oil
4 leaves utazi (bitters)

*Instead of the different spices used here, you can simply use store-bought Pepper soup spice mix or any mixture of spices/spices you like.

Wash dry fish in boiling hot water and slice onions.

Place dry fish in a pot with 2 cups of water, add onions, salt, seasoning cube and pepper.

Cook over medium heat till the fish has softened a bit and the colour of the water has changed.

Add ground uziza, uda, crayfish, okpei, palm oil and utazi.

At this point, add some water because the stock should have reduced considerably.

Cook soup until dry fish is softened.

The flavours should have blended well and utazi infused a slight bitterness to it.

Take off the heat.

Nigerian dry fish pepper soup can be eaten on its own or with rice, yam, agidi (eko, cornstarch jello) or boiled plantains.

Note:

• Instead of the different spices used here, you can simply use store-bought Pepper soup spice mix or any mixture of spices/spices you like.
• Most times, I don’t grind uda, I just bruise or break it up, so I can remove it if its flavour is getting overpowering, same with scotch bonnet.
• Palm oil is added for its flavour.

If you enjoyed my Nigerian dry fish pepper soup, you will also enjoy my Catfish Peppersoup (Point and kill), Nigerian Fish Stew (Imoyo), Foil Baked Catfish and vegetables and Goat meat Pepper Soup.

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