Fisherman Soup: How to Make Rivers Native Fish Soup
Photo credit: Bigoven
Nigerian Fisherman soup is a simple soup cooked using fish and other seafood for protein. It is known as Efere Ndek Iyak in Efik and is indigenous to the people of Nigeria’s Akwa-Ibom and Cross River states. They have an abundance of seafood since rivers run through their cities and villages and they are surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean.
Anywhere there is a body of water, such as a river, sea, ocean, or lake, the surrounding communities usually have a fisherman’s stew or soup associated with it, such as Nsala soup (Onitsha, Asaba), Cioppino, Italian-American Fish Stew, Kakavia, Greek Fisherman’s Soup, halászlé, Hungarian Fisherman’s soup, and so on.
On the other hand, these riverine people prepare the freshest fish soup delicacy.
Because it is usually prepared with seafood, fisherman’s soup provides a lot of health advantages.
Seafood is rich in protein, Omega-3 fatty acids, and low in calories and saturated fat. It also includes vitamins and minerals. Seafood has been demonstrated to provide a variety of health advantages for the human body. Seafood has the potential to lower the risk of a heart attack. There are many health benefits to drinking water. It helps to reduce the risk of stroke, as well as obesity and hypertension, to name a few of them.
There are several recipes for this soup, each unique to a community in the Niger-Delta. Some people prepare this dish using tomatoes, while others do not. Some people make use of Okro, while others do not. Again, some people choose to thicken the soup with garri, while others use pounded yam or cocoyam. The many methods for preparing this dinner just demonstrate culinary innovation and do not imply that one method is superior to another. However, the dish I’ll be utilizing is the most popular among Rivers State residents.
How Long Does Rivers’ Native Soup Take to Make?
Because seafood cooks in a couple of minutes, this soup comes together quickly. It is critical to remember that this soup tastes best when it is hot and spicy.
How to Make Rivers Native Fishman Soup| Nigerian Fisherman Soup Recipe
Ingredients for Fisherman Soup ingredients
- 2 fresh fish fillets (You can use tilapia)
- 1 cup chopped jumbo shrimp
- Isam 1 cup (periwinkle)
- Crab (four pieces)
- 1.5 cups of crayfish, fresh (chopped)
- 1.5 cup uziza leaf, chopped
- 1 small onion bulb
- 1 cup Ngolo
- 2 tablespoons Cocoyam Paste (for thickening)
- 2 seasoning cubes (Knorr/Maggi)…to taste
- 1 tbsp Crayfish Powder
- 1 tbsp palm oil
- 1 tbsp dry pepper
- 1 teaspoon Scotch Bonnet Pepper
- 2 tbsp Salt…to taste
How to Make Fisherman Soup: Step-by-Step Instructions
Clean the shrimp, crabs, periwinkle, and catfish first, then wash them with hot water and salt.
Second, place all of the seafood in a clean pot, add the sliced onions, pepper, salt, and seasoning cube, and cover with water and steam.
Third, in another clean, empty pot, heat the palm oil and bleach for a few minutes before adding the sliced onions and stirring.
Stir in the tinned tomatoes, then add the Ofor thickener and cook for a few seconds. Pour in the fish stock (water from the steam fish, if there isn’t much, add a bit more water).
Stir together all of the fried ingredients, then add your crayfish, pepper, and Ngolo, cover, and leave to boil over medium heat.
Finally, add the steamed catfish, salt, crabs, and periwinkle; season to taste and check the soup’s thickness. If the soup is too thick, add a little water to loosen it; if it’s too watery, add a little Ofor powder to thicken it.
Gently mix your soup to prevent the fish from dispersing within the pot, and then sprinkle your sliced fragrance leaves or Uziza leaf into your pot of soup, then reduce heat and let it simmer for a few minutes.
When your soup is done, just remove it from the heat/fire.
This excellent soup is served with fufu, pounded yam, eba, or Semo swallow.