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Stockfish Soup

Also known as Stockfish Soup (Okporoko Soup)

Stockfish — dried, salted cod imported primarily from Norway and called Okporoko in Igbo — holds a unique and somewhat paradoxical place in Nigerian cuisine. Despite being an imported product from thousands of miles away, stockfish has been so completely absorbed into Nigerian cooking culture over centuries of trade that it is now considered an indigenous Nigerian ingredient.

Stockfish Soup, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 2 big pieces of stockfish (okporoko), soaked in warm water for 1 to 2 hours until soft, then shredded
  • 1 big handful of smoked fish, soaked and deboned — optional
  • 3 big ripe tomatoes, blended
  • 2 Tatashe (red bell peppers), blended
  • 3 Atarodo (hot chilli peppers), blended
  • 1 big onion, sliced
  • 3 cooking spoons of palm oil
  • 3 big handfuls of ground dried crayfish
  • 3 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed
  • Salt to taste
  • 3 glasses of the stockfish soaking water (if not too salty) or plain water
  • 3 big handfuls of fresh ugwu or spinach — optional

Method

  1. 01

    Preparing the Stockfish. Soak the stockfish in warm water for 1 to 2 hours (or overnight for very hard pieces). Change the water once during soaking. After soaking, the stockfish should be softened but still firm. Shred into pieces, removing any remaining bones. Taste the soaking water — if not too salty, reserve 3 glasses to use in the soup.

  2. 02

    Frying the Pepper Base. Heat 3 cooking spoons of palm oil in a wide pot. Add sliced onion and fry 2 minutes. Add blended tomatoes, Tatashe and Atarodo. Fry vigorously for 20 to 25 minutes until deeply cooked and oil floats on top.

  3. 03

    Building the Soup. Add the shredded stockfish and smoked fish to the fried pepper. Add ground crayfish, seasoning cubes and salt. Pour in 3 glasses of the reserved soaking water or plain water. Stir well. Bring to a simmer.

  4. 04

    Simmering. Cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring gently every 5 minutes. The stockfish will continue to infuse the soup with its deep, complex marine flavour. Add vegetables in the final 5 minutes if using. Taste and adjust — be careful with salt since stockfish is already salted.

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