There are plenty of fish recipes from different cuisines, but this Nigerian Fish Stew is definitely one of the best yet! The fish’s light and crispy texture and the sauce’s intense flavors are a match made in heaven!
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Quick and easy fish stew with African flavors, the assorted fried fish add depth of flavor, not to mention omega-3 oils.
How to Make Fish Stew
Fish stew requires simple ingredients but the overall results will make you feel like you’re eating at a five-star restaurant! And you’re the chef!
Ingredients
Assorted Fish
According to Healthline, eating fish has numerous benefits, include improved heart health, brain function, sleep quality, clear vision, immunity, and even mental well-being.
For this recipe, I can suggest using croaker, hake, tilapia, and bream because of their natural flavors and freshness. I usually cook my fish for Pan Fried Fish Fillet, Grilled Croaker, and Fish Rolls!
Tomatoes
Tomatoes make excellent ingredients for stews because of their sweet and tangy flavor coupled with rich and thick blended consistency. They even contribute a vibrant and appetizing color.
Use any leftover tomatoes for Jollof Rice, Tortilla Wrap, and Spaghetti in Chicken Breast Sauce.
Sweet and bell peppers
Peppers bring an extra kick of sweetness to any dish, especially to sauces. Once cooked, these also emit a fragrant aroma. These are also nutritious yet low in calories!
Sweet and bell peppers are also highly recommended ingredients for Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry, Breakfast Wraps, and Moi Moi.
Scotch bonnet
This is an optional ingredient if you want to add spice to the sauce. Scotch bonnet enhances the robust flavor and it infuses into the fish. It’s going to add excitement to your meal.
Alternatively, use chili flakes for well-distributed flavor.
Garlic and onion
This magical pairing makes any dish pungent, peppery, and sweet. Onions and garlic are definitely flavor enhancers that the fish stew needs.
Seasoning
Some of the spices for this recipe include sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder, fenugreek, mace, cardamom, and more! The secret to the best fish stew lies in these delicious seasonings!
I also recommend using my tried and tested Fish Seasoning for the perfect balance of flavors.
You’re surely going to love this recipe because of its natural aroma, flavor, and quality. It’s a fine dining experience in your own home with satisfying and hearty food straight from your kitchen!
Directions
- Gut and descale the fish using a knife. Cut them to your preferred size.
- Season it using fenugreek, garlic powder, onion powder, cardamom, mace, all-purpose seasoning, and salt.
- Cover the container with cling film and marinate overnight.
- In a pan, let oil heat over medium-high fire until the oil simmers.
- Lower the fish into the oil and fry on both sides with tongs until golden and crispy.
- Remove the fish from heat using a skimmer spoon.
- Once cooked, transfer the fish to a tray lined with a kitchen towel. Set the oil aside for later use.
- Rinse and slice the tomatoes, sweet peppers, bell peppers, onions, garlic, onion, and scotch bonnet.
- Use a blender to blend the ingredients until smooth in consistency and pour into a bowl.
- Heat the leftover oil in a saucepan over a medium-high fire and pour in the blended sauce.
- Cover the pot with a splatter guard and a lid to cook the sauce until it thickens.
- Season it with all-purpose seasoning, mixed herbs, salt, mace, paprika, knorr cubes, and curry powder and mix with a spatula. You can also add oregano, tarragon, sage, cardamom, coriander, and garam masala.
- Mix the seasoning into the sauce and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Toss in the fried assorted fish.
- Submerge the fish into the stew to infuse it with the sauce. Cover and cook for another 2 minutes over low heat.
Season it however you like and this might as well be your next favorite seafood recipe! Not only are you enticed to eat healthily, but you’re also enjoying an incredible culinary experience in your home!
Tips
How to Buy, Store, and Prepare Fish
Selection. In an article by Nestle, fresh fish should have clear eyes, moist and red gills, glossy and slippery scales, neutral odor, and firm and plump flesh.
Storage. To refrigerate, put a rack inside a large container and place the rinsed fish on the rack. Do not stack or crowd the fish. Scatter ice below the rack and ensure that the ice does not touch the fish. Cover the container with cling film to use within 2 days.
For freezing, wash the fish over running water and store them in labeled freezer bags. Cook the frozen fish within 2 weeks.
Preparation. If the fish you bought has not been gutted or descaled, The Spruce Eats suggests these steps to prepare the fish for cooking.
- To descale, use a clean butter knife to scrape off the scales from the tail to the head.
- Angle your knife and apply just enough pressure not to puncture the flesh.
- Next, gut the fish by cutting it in between the fins, and slicing it upward. Let the knife hit the fishbone.
- Expose the flesh and pull out the guts and liver.
- Slice off the gills.
- Then, cut the fish to your preferred size to season, store, or fry!
How to Purchase and Preserve Vegetables
Tomatoes
Selection. The tomatoes should be vibrantly colored, plump, and with glossy and smooth skin. They should feel heavy for their size too. The caps should be in a fresh green color.
Storage. Unripe tomatoes can be left at room temperature to last up to two weeks. Ripe tomatoes are best refrigerated in resealable bags to last up to a week longer.
Sweet and Bell Peppers
Selection. The peppers should be firm to the touch. The skin should be shiny and bright without discoloration.
Storage. Room-temperature peppers can last up to 5 days but refrigerate them in plastic bags to extend their shelf life to 2 weeks.
Scotch Bonnet
Selection. Scotch bonnet comes in different colors so choose whichever you prefer as long as the stems are attached and there are no soft spots or discoloration.
Storage. Put the scotch bonnet in plastic bags and store it in the fridge to use within 2 weeks. They can also be frozen to last up to several weeks. If you need an in-depth guide to preserving it, be sure to check out Scotch Bonnets Storage Hacks.
How to Make the Sauce Without a Blender
In place of a blender, you can use a food processor or a food mill. Moreover, you can also steam the tomatoes and peppers before finely chopping them with a knife or a mortar and pestle.
You can also use a grater to grate the onions and garlic before combining them with the purees. Strain the contents with a fine-mesh sieve for better consistency.
How to Make Mixed Herbs
To make your mixed herbs, simply combine parsley, marjoram, basil, thyme, sage, tarragon, and sage. Store them in container jars at room temperature or in the fridge until ready for use.
How to Cook Fish Properly
- To prevent frying issues, make sure that you use just enough oil to deep fry the fish without drenching it.
- FryMax recommends using palm oil, rapeseed oil, peanut oil, and sunflower oil because of their high smoke points.
- If you have an oil thermometer, then check if the oil is between 175°C to 180°C before lowering the fish.
- Do not overcrowd the pan for even frying.
- Cooking time can take up to 5 minutes on each side but it depends on the thickness of the fish.
Fish Stew Variations
With the seasoning alone, you can make any variation to the flavor. You may also use any other fish or seafood of your choice to enhance the quality of the stew. In fact, you can try making it with chicken, pork, or beef.
For a vegetarian stew, you can use carrots, asparagus, green beans, celery, mushrooms, potatoes, vegetable broth, peas, and more.
Recommended Tools
- Non-stick saucepan: Cook the sauce and the stew in a saucepan.
- Frying pan: Fry the fish in a wok.
- Blender: Process the sauce in a blender for the best consistency.
- Wooden spatula: Mix the ingredients with a spatula.
- Tongs: Toss the fish in the oil with tongs.
- Splatter screen: Cover the saucepan with a splatter guard.
- Glass bowl: Prepare the ingredients, herbs, and spices in glass bowls.
- Measuring spoons: Measure the ingredients to balance the flavors.
- Skimmer spoon: Remove the fish from the oil with a skimmer.
- Knife: Slice the fish and ingredients using a knife.
- Cling film: Marinate the fish by covering the container with cling film.
- Tray: Place the fish on a tray after frying.
- Kitchen towel: Let the kitchen towel absorb any excess oil.
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How to Serve Fish Stew
This dish is best served for lunch and dinner to relish the goodness of the sauce and the fish. Also, you can have them with:
This can also be served with roasted vegetables, a salad, or healthy drinks such as:
Storage Tips
- At room temperature: According to Bike Hike, the fish stew is best consumed within 2 hours at room temperature, especially if the temperature is quite high.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is fish stew healthy?
Yes, the fish stew is healthy because it supplies your body with essential nutrients that you can get from seafood such as omega acids, calcium, phosphorus, protein, and minerals.
This dish is also great for a well-balanced diet with vegetables, seasoning, and fish. It protects your heart, boosts brain function, improves vision, and curbs the effects of depression.
What country is a fish stew from?
The fish stew was inspired by French bouillabaisse where fish was submerged in a delicious soup. From there, lots of fish stew recipes have been concocted from all over the world from Asian to African recipes.
Is it safe to reuse oil from frying fish?
Yes, it is definitely safe to use oil used from frying oil. However, if you observe foaming or an odd odor, it is best to discard it.
Fish Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
Fish (gutted, descaled, dressed, and cut)
- 1 croaker
- 1 hake
- 2 tilapia
- 2 bream
Fish seasoning
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp all-purpose seasoning
- ½ tsp mace
- ½ tsp fenugreek
- ½ tsp cardamom
For the pepper sauce
- 5 tomatoes (small-sized)
- 4 sweet peppers
- 4 bell peppers
- 1 onion (medium-sized)
- 2 scotch bonnets (adjust as required)
- 3 garlic cloves
Fried fish stew
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp mace
- ½ tsp mixed herbs
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 knorr chicken cubes
- ½ tsp all-purpose seasoning
Optional Seasoning
- pinch sage
- pinch tarragon
- pinch oregano
- pinch coriander
- pinch cardamom
- pinch fenugreek
- pinch garam masala
Instructions
- Prepare the assorted fish. First, gut and descale the fish. Cut them to your preferred size and season to your liking. I suggest using fenugreek, garlic powder, onion powder, cardamom, mace, all-purpose seasoning, and salt. Coat the fish with the spices. Cover the container with cling film and marinate overnight.
- Fry the fish. In a pan, let oil heat over medium-high fire until the oil simmers. Lower the fish into the oil and fry on both sides until golden and crispy. Once cooked, transfer the fish to a tray lined with a kitchen towel. Set the oil aside for later use.
- Make the sauce.Rinse and slice the tomatoes, sweet peppers, bell peppers, onions, garlic, onion, and scotch bonnet. Blend the ingredients until smooth in consistency.
- Cook the stew.Pour the left-over oil into a pot. Let it heat over a medium-high fire and pour in the blended sauce. Cover the pot with a splatter guard and a lid to cook the sauce until it thickens. Season it with all-purpose seasoning, mixed herbs, salt, mace, paprika, knorr cubes, and curry powder. You can also add oregano, tarragon, sage, cardamom, coriander, and garam masala. Mix the seasoning into the sauce and cook for another 5 minutes. Toss in the fried assorted fish. Submerge the fish into the stew to infuse with the sauce. Cover and cook for another 2 minutes over low heat.
Video
Notes
- Always use oil with a high smoke point such as sunflower oil.
- You can reuse the oil used in frying the fish.
- Consume fish stew within 2 hours at room temperature.
- In case the stew is too oily from the fish and the sauce, you can get an ice cube and hold it over the oily parts of the stew until the oil solidifies on the ice cube.
Nutrition
