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Premium Crayfish Soup

Also known as Premium Crayfish Soup (Silky Nigerian Bisque)

Premium Nigerian Crayfish Soup is a refined, silky, intensely flavoured soup inspired by the classic bisque technique but built entirely on Nigerian seafood flavours. Ground dried crayfish — Nigeria's most potent seafood seasoning ingredient — serves as the primary flavour base, combined with fresh prawns, coconut cream and the Nigerian pepper soup spice blend to create a soup of extraordinary depth and elegance.

Premium Crayfish Soup, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • 4 big handfuls of ground dried crayfish — the foundation and primary flavour
  • A big handful of fresh or frozen prawns — shells kept for stock, flesh deveined for serving
  • 1 big tin of coconut cream
  • 2 small onions or shallots, very finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cooking spoons of butter
  • 1 teaspoon of ground uziza seeds
  • 1 teaspoon of ground ehuru
  • 1 teaspoon of ground Cameroon pepper
  • 2 Atarodo (hot chilli peppers), very finely blended
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • A small handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • Salt to taste
  • 4 glasses of water or light stock

Method

  1. 01

    Making the Prawn Shell Stock. Set aside a handful of whole prawns for serving. Peel the remaining prawns and keep the shells. Fry the prawn shells in 1 cooking spoon of butter in a pot for 3 minutes — they will turn pink and fragrant. Add 4 glasses of water. Bring to a boil. Simmer 15 minutes. Strain through a sieve — this intensely flavoured prawn stock is the bisque base.

  2. 02

    Building the Spiced Base. Melt the remaining cooking spoon of butter in a wide pot. Add finely chopped onion and garlic. Cook gently for 3 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add finely blended Atarodo, ground uziza seeds, ground ehuru and Cameroon pepper. Cook 3 minutes.

  3. 03

    Adding Crayfish and Coconut. Add all the ground dried crayfish to the spice base. Stir for 2 minutes — the crayfish will sizzle and become very fragrant. Pour in the strained prawn stock. Add the coconut cream. Stir well. Simmer for 15 minutes.

  4. 04

    Blending to Silkiness. Remove from heat. Use a hand blender or transfer to a blender and blend until completely smooth. Return to the pot. Season with lemon juice and salt. The soup should be smooth, deeply golden-orange and intensely flavoured.

  5. 05

    Finishing with Whole Prawns. Season the reserved whole peeled prawns with a little salt. Cook in 1 cooking spoon of butter for 2 minutes per side until just cooked and pink. Ladle the warm soup into bowls. Place 2 to 3 sautéed prawns on top. Garnish with fresh parsley.

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