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Sardine Sauce Nigerian Style

Sardine Sauce Nigerian Style is one of the most beloved budget fish dishes in Nigeria — a quickly prepared, deeply flavourful tomato and pepper stew made from canned sardines. Canned sardines — affordable, shelf-stable and available at every Nigerian kiosk and market stall — are transformed by the Nigerian pepper and tomato technique into a stew of surprising depth and flavour.

Sardine Sauce Nigerian Style, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 2 tins of sardines in tomato sauce (or in oil), drained
  • 3 big ripe tomatoes, blended
  • 2 Atarodo (hot chilli peppers), blended
  • 1 Tatashe (red bell pepper), blended
  • 1 big onion, sliced
  • 2 cooking spoons of vegetable oil
  • 2 big handfuls of ground crayfish
  • 2 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. 01

    Frying the Pepper Base. Heat vegetable oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add sliced onion and fry 2 minutes until softened. Add blended tomatoes, Tatashe and Atarodo. Fry for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring regularly, until well-cooked and oil floats on top.

  2. 02

    Adding the Sardines. Add ground crayfish, crushed seasoning cubes and salt to the fried pepper. Stir and cook 2 minutes. Add the drained sardines. Using a spoon, gently break them into smaller pieces within the sauce — do not stir too aggressively or they will completely disintegrate. Cook for just 5 minutes on medium heat until heated through and well-incorporated into the sauce.

  3. 03

    Serving. Serve immediately. The sardine sauce should be thick, well-seasoned and richly coloured from the tomatoes.

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