No one should tell me otherwise, fisherman soup is simply the best. Okay! I would tell you why, Did you know that the protein source for this delicacy is top-notch? We can go on and on its health benefits nonstop, but let me fill you in the details below.
Fisherman soup is native to the people of Nigeria’s Akwa-Ibom and Cross River states and is known by the Efik name Efere Ndek Iyak. They have an abundance of seafood since rivers run through their cities and villages and they are surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean.
Additionally, fishermen will create soups and stews using any seafood they are able to catch. The recipe was improved over time, and as it traveled inland, more strange components were added and others were subtracted. Additionally, families will have their own recipes.
Nearly everywhere there is a body of water—a river, a sea, an ocean, a lake—the local communities have a stew or soup named after a fisherman. Some examples include Nsala soup (Onitsha, Asaba), Cioppino, an Italian-American fish stew, Kakavia, a Greek stew, halászlé, a Hungarian stew, etc.
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To make this soup, you’d need the following:
Fresh catfish, shrimp, or crab
Isa (Periwinkle)
(Whelks) Ngolo
Dryfish
Cooked fish for stock
Pepper from Cameroon (optional)
Scotch bonnet (fresh pepper) powder
1 medium onion, pureed or chopped
1/2 cup of ground crayfish and 1 teaspoon of ground uziza seeds
3/4 to 1/2 cup Palmoil
3 spice cubes
Yam small bunch, half a cup of pounded salt, and shredded uziza leaves
2 full (sliced) Okro
Follow these instructions
Fresh catfish should be cleaned, sliced, and placed away. Clean ngolo, shrimp, and snails.
Cook and pound the yam.
Add salt and 1 seasoning cube to a medium-sized pot with the fish, snail, dry fish, and stockfish.
Add 2 cups of water, along with the onion, scotch bonnet, Cameroun pepper, a small amount of scotch bonnet, and powdered uziza seed.
Cook for 5 minutes on low heat with the lid on after bringing to a boil.
Fish removed; set aside.
Incorporate Ngolo, crayfish, two spice cubes, water, and raise the heat to continue cooking the snail.
Add Palm oil and chunks of pounded yam after bringing to a boil.
Cook until the soup is evenly colored and thickened. (At this point, if there are any remaining lumps of pounded yam, scrape them out.
Gently put the fish back, and add prawn, periwinkle, and okra. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add shredded Uziza leaf, cook for another 2 minutes, and take off the heat.
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