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    Home » Fish Recipes » Quick Catfish Stew

    Published: Feb 1, 2020 · Modified: Mar 24, 2020 by Ajoke

    Quick Catfish Stew

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    Catfish stew is another of Nigerians favourite soup recipes. Perfect fish soup for days when time is of the essence. It is quick, easy and delicious. This Nigerian stew pairs deliciously well with boiled white rice, efo riro, ewedu, plain okra soup and can be eaten on its own.

    Let me show you how to make Nigerian catfish stew in easy steps.

    Catfish Stew

    Last December I had this terrible flu that left me with no sense of taste and smell for days. To be honest with you, that really got me thinking to be more appreciative of life and for what I have got. We take so many things for granted in this life and I never believed I would be so miserable for want of smell and taste until I couldn’t use them for some few days.

    In an attempt to restore my taste bud and smell sense, I remember adding too much salt to fried eggs just to be able to taste something and all I managed to taste was the salt and no flavour at all. (Covering my face)

    As I got better, I craved for catfish pepper soup but was too weak to make one. I missed Nigeria at that point, trust point and kill joints, where all catfishes come in different shapes and sizes. My catfish is not much of a point and kill but frozen. To be honest, it is not bad at all and it tastes just as good as fresh catfish but just that you have to settle for the size you see. They can be pretty small. The last time I found a Nigerian matching catfish size was when my dad first visited us a while ago. I pretty much just buy what I see when I’m craving these days

    Back to my 3 step catfish stew, I changed my mind from pepper soup to this quick light stew. The consistency is just like gbure oloboro or imooyo so I can eat eba with the okra that Olu made earlier on in the day. It’s pretty easy to cook and you can do it in just 3 steps.

    I have made this stew again severally as I found it easy and quick to cook. Catfish doesn’t take long to cook. Well, I don’t cook mine for long and I like to finish it the same day. Also, I know some may find the slimy nature of catfish off-putting, honestly, it is easy to get rid off and I will be sharing with you how I clean catfish.

    Ingredients

    Catfish steaks (use any other kind of fresh fish)

    Red bell peppers

    Scotch bonnet chilli

    Onion

    Tomato: fresh or canned chopped or plum tomatoes

    Chicken bouillon powder Substitute with beef or vegetable bouillon

    Salt

    Palm oil

    Tips

    Substitute palm oil for vegetable oil or any flavourless oil

    Use ready-made Nigerian pepper mix. You will need between 4 to 6 cups for this catfish stew

    How to cook catfish stew

    Season catfish with a pinch of salt and set aside.

    Blend tomatoes, red bell pepper, scotch bonnet and onions in the blender. (Reserve some chopped onions to add to palm oil later)

    Place a pot on medium-low heat, add palm oil, after about 3 minutes, add the chopped onions and fry for another 2-3 minutes (do not bleach the palm oil)

    Add the blended pepper and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, add bouillon powder and salt to taste, stir to combine and cook for another 5 minutes

    Add catfish to the stew, be careful not to stir the fish stew or it would break into bits. Simply hold the pan on the 2 sides and shake gently, that helps move the fish around without breaking it into bits. Cook for another 10 minutes or until the fish is totally cooked.

    Serve warm with sides of choice

    Other Nigerian Soup Recipes You’ll Love

    Ogbono Soup

    Afang Soup

    If you made this Nigerian catfish stew recipe, don’t forget to leave me feedback. Tag me on Instagram and save away to your Pinterest

    a pot of freshly cooked catfish stew.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Catfish Stew

    Catfish stew is another of Nigerians favourite soup recipes. Perfect fish soup for days when time is of the essence. It is quick, easy and delicious. This Nigerian stew pairs deliciously well with boiled white rice, efo riro, ewedu, plain okra soup and can be eaten on its own.
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time35 minutes mins
    Total Time50 minutes mins
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: African, Nigerian
    Keyword: catfish stew, catfish stew recipe, how to cook catfish
    Servings: 4
    Author: Ajoke

    Ingredients

    • 8 Catfish steaks use any other kind of fresh fish
    • 2 medium-size red bell peppers
    • 2-3 scotch bonnet chilli or use according to preference
    • 1 medium-large onion
    • 1 can of tomato plum 400g
    • ½ tablespoon Chicken bouillon powder Substitute with beef or vegetable bouillon
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ cup palm oil

    Instructions

    • Season catfish with a pinch of salt and set aside.
    • Blend tomatoes, red bell pepper, scotch bonnet and onions in the blender. (Reserve some chopped onions to add to palm oil later)
    • Place a pot on medium-low heat, add palm oil, after about 3 minutes, add the chopped onions and fry for another 2-3 minutes (do not bleach the palm oil)
    • Add the blended pepper and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes, add bouillon powder and salt to taste, stir to combine and cook for another 5 minutes
    • Add catfish to the stew, be careful not to stir the fish stew or it would break into bits. Simply hold the pan on the 2 sides and shake gently, that helps move the fish around without breaking it into bits. Cook for another 10 minutes or until the fish is totally cooked.
    • Serve warm with sides of choice

    Notes

    Tips

    • Substitute palm oil for vegetable oil or any flavourless oil
    • Use ready-made Nigerian pepper mix. You will need between 4 to 6 cups for this catfish stew

    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE RATE IT AND LEAVE ME A COMMENT. USE #MYACTIVEKITCHEN OR TAG @MYACTIVEKITCHEN ON INSTAGRAM SO I CAN SEE YOUR PHOTOS, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR CREATIONS. THANK YOU!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Trishe says

      February 01, 2021 at 11:17 pm

      5 stars
      This came out delicious! Definitely adding into my weekly rotation.

      Reply
      • Ajoke says

        February 02, 2021 at 5:54 pm

        Thank you, Trishe, I am happy this recipe came out well for you.

        Reply
    2. anon says

      March 10, 2015 at 12:01 pm

      nice one but can you please do a post on how to clean catfish

      Reply
      • Ajoke says

        February 11, 2016 at 11:46 am

        Thank you

        Reply

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    Hello, my name is Ajoke, and welcome to my food world,  I love to cook in my lively little kitchen. Join me in the adventure of cooking what we all call warm, hearty, and quick meals...

    More about me →

    Hello, my name is Ajoke, and welcome to my food world,  I love to cook in my lively little kitchen. Join me in the adventure of cooking what we all call warm, hearty, and quick meals...

    More about me →

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