Point and Kill Pepper Soup
This catfish pepper soup is light, fiery, and intensely fragrant, with a clear broth enriched by crayfish and traditional pepper soup spices. Fresh uziza, scent leaf, and a touch of utazi add a layered herbal finish that makes each spoonful bright, warming, and unmistakably West African.
Ingredients
Fish and seasoning base
- 700 gcatfish, cleaned and cut into thick steaks
- 120 gred onion, thinly sliced
- 15 gfresh red chili, sliced
- 20 gground crayfish
- 12 gpepper soup spice blend
- 6 gsalt
- 900 mlwater
Fresh leaf finish
- 20 guziza leaves, roughly shredded
- 15 gscent leaves, roughly shredded
- 5 gutazi leaves, thinly sliced
Instructions
- 1
Rinse the catfish pieces well and pat dry. Slice the onion and chili, shred the uziza and scent leaves, and thinly slice the utazi. Keeping the leaf garnish ready before the soup goes on helps you finish the dish while the herbs are still bright and aromatic.
- 2
Put the catfish into a medium pot in a single layer if possible. Add the onion, chili, ground crayfish, pepper soup spice blend, salt, and water. Set over medium heat and bring just to a gentle boil; avoid vigorous stirring so the fish does not break apart.
- 3
Once boiling, reduce to a lively simmer and cook for 12-15 minutes, occasionally shaking the pot gently instead of stirring. The soup is ready for the final herbs when the fish is opaque, flakes easily at the thickest part, and the broth tastes rounded and peppery.
- 4
Add the uziza leaves, scent leaves, and utazi. Simmer for 2 minutes only, just until wilted; overcooking dulls their fragrance and can make the utazi more bitter.
- 5
Taste the broth and adjust with a little more salt only if needed. Serve very hot in deep bowls, making sure each portion gets both fish and plenty of broth.
Nutrition per serving
Notes
- •If you can buy live catfish, ask the fishmonger to clean and cut it just before cooking for the freshest flavour and the classic 'point and kill' style.
- •Pepper soup spice blends vary; if yours is very strong, start with 8 g and increase to taste.
- •Utazi is pleasantly bitter, so use it sparingly for balance rather than as a dominant herb.
- •This soup is often served on its own, but boiled yam or rice can be offered alongside if you want a more filling meal.
Background
Pepper soup is a beloved Nigerian soup known for its light but deeply aromatic broth, often made with fish or meat and a warming spice blend. Catfish pepper soup is especially popular in southern Nigeria, where fresh catfish is abundant and herbs like scent leaf and uziza give the dish its distinctive regional character.
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