Nigerian Fish Pepper Soup Recipe: A Spicy and Flavorful Delight

Nov 16, 2025 0

When the weather is cold and you're home, warm and cozy, and your tummy starts rumbling, what usually springs to mind? A large bowl of pepper soup! Catfish pepper soup is always high in demand by guests at Nigerian parties, and it is about the most common pepper soup cooked in Nigeria.

This article provides a detailed recipe for preparing Nigerian fish pepper soup, a spicy and flavorful dish known for its medicinal properties and comforting warmth. It is served to a nursing mother during Omugwo. Catfish pepper soup is called "point-and-kill" in drinking parlors (pubs) for a reason. This West African staple is known for its spicy kick, thanks to Scotch bonnet peppers.

This Nigerian fish pepper soup is packed full of flavor, spicy, and delicious. Fish peppersoup is traditionally cooked with catfish and referred to as point and kill peppersoup but you can use other types of fresh fish like Tilapia.

Traditionally an appetizer or main course, we love fish pepper soup for its invigorating heat and restorative qualities. This Lenten must-have is perfect for cooler weather or whenever you’re craving something hearty that won’t weigh you down. Plus, this African fish soup is so easy to adapt to personal preferences, including the spice level.

Catfish pepper soup is one of the easiest and fastest to cook in the repertoire of Nigerian pepper soups, but it is also very easy to mess up. It is an unforgiving soup and demands good timing and attention. Fish pepper soup provides spicy, comforting, and flavorful goodness with fresh fish, warming spices, and vibrant herbs.

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Here's how to create this flavorful dish:

Ingredients

Here's a list of ingredients you'll need:

1.2 kg fresh fish (catfish, tilapia, or croaker)
110 g onions, chopped (1 medium)
2 seasoning cubes
1 tablespoons ground crayfish
2 scotch bonnet peppers*
Salt to taste
2 big ehuru (calabash nutmeg), 3 small, ground
½ teaspoon ground uziza
2 sticks uda
Utazi leaves (bitters)*

*You can use less scotch bonnet and add a little Cameroun pepper, it tastes really good.

**Instead of the different spices used here, you can simply use store-bought Pepper soup spice mix or any mixture of spices/spices you like.

Additional Ingredients:

1/3 cup of Ground Pepper soup Spice
3 Tilapia Fishes
5 scotch bonnets
Fresh ginger
Fresh garlic
1 white onion
Fresh basil
Fish seasoning
Salt
Black pepper

For the Stock:

2 whole fish (1½ to 2 pounds each), such as black bass, red snapper, croaker or mackerel, filleted off the bone, with spine and head reserved for stock
2 large red onions (about 1½ pounds), peeled and quartered
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled
2 lemongrass stalks, cut into 4-inch pieces and pounded with the back of a knife
1 garlic bulb, halved crosswise
1 fresh bay leaf
6 small dried hot chiles, such as bird’s-eye or cayenne
2 dried smoked chiles, such as chipotle
6 selim seed pods or black cardamom pods, crushed lightly with the back of a knife
1 red habanero chile, stemmed and halved
1 small bunch fresh thyme
1 small bunch fresh parsley
1 small bunch fresh cilantro
Kosher salt

For the Pepper Soup Spices:

2 tablespoons grains of paradise (alligator pepper)
1 tablespoon uziza seeds
4 calabash nutmeg seeds, toasted, cracked open with the back of a knife, shells discarded, and small interior seeds reserved
1 gbafilo seed, shelled, interior seed cracked into smaller pieces
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds

For the Garnish:

Kosher salt
¼ cup whole fresh mint leaves
¼ cup scent leaf (or African or Thai basil)
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

Follow these steps to prepare a delicious pot of Catfish pepper soup:

Prepare the Fish: Wash catfish slices well. Pour hot water over the fish slices and leave to stand for 1-2 minutes, drain and rinse in cold water.
Season the Fish: Sprinkle some salt and black pepper on the fish and set aside.
Blend Ingredients: Using your blender and 4 cups of water, blend together 4 of the 5 scotch bonnets, garlic, ginger and onion.
Initial Boil: In a pot, pour in the blended mix and bring to a boil, let cook for 15-20 mins. When the mix has started to reduce, go in with the ground peppersoup spice and boil for another 5-10 mins. Add in some of the fish seasoning and salt to taste.
Combine Ingredients: Place fish in a pot and add just enough water to just cover the fish. Place over medium heat. Add onions, seasoning cube, crayfish, peppers and sprinkle some salt.
First Boil: Cover and bring to a boil, add ground ehuru, uziza and uda, gently shake and swirl your pot, cook for 5-8 minutes.
Add Utazi: Add about 5 leaves of shredded utazi and some water. Taste and correct seasoning.
Final Cook: Cook for another 5-8 minutes until fish is well cooked. Take off the heat.

For a more traditional method using whole fish:

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Make the stock: Place the fish carcasses in a stock pot and cover with about 4 quarts of water. Add the onions, ginger, lemongrass, garlic, bay leaf, dried and smoked chiles, and selim seed pods. Bring up to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the fish bones have broken down and the vegetables are softened, at least 1 hour. Add the habanero, thyme, parsley and cilantro during the last 10 minutes of cooking. (You can make the fish stock 1 day ahead and store it in the refrigerator.)
Prepare the Pepper Soup Spices: Heat a small skillet over medium, and add the grains and seeds. Toast, moving frequently, until the seeds begin to crackle and become fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Transfer the mixture to a spice grinder and pulse to a smooth powder. (Store away from heat or direct sunlight in an airtight jar until ready to use.)
Combine: Cut the fish fillets into 2-inch cubes and season with salt. Strain out all the solids from the stock and return the stock to the pot. Add 2 tablespoons pepper soup spice and reserve any extra for the garnish. Season with salt and bring up to a boil over high. Reduce the heat to low and bring the broth to a simmer.
Final Cook: Gently add the fish cubes and simmer on low until just cooked through, about 4 minutes.

Serve your Catfish pepper soup with boiled yam, plantain, rice, agidi (eko, corn paste pudding) etc.

Tips and Notes

To prevent your catfish from disintegrating in your pot of soup, use the hot water method. The hot water hardens the flesh so you can cook it long enough to get the seasonings and spices into the fish.
Do not overload your fresh fish pepper soup with too many different seasonings and spices. If using a spice blend, use just enough to have a mellow (not harsh) taste.
Cook long enough to remove that harsh raw taste of spices.
If you can stand the heat of hot peppers, this is one pepper soup that benefits from being very hot.
Fish is one ingredient you do not want to cook from frozen. It needs to defrost properly right through to the centre and because it cooks very fast, there is no way the centre will defrost and cook at the same time as the outside. Leave your fish to totally defrost before cooking.
Toast ehuru or better buy already toasted one like I always do.

Serving Suggestions: Serve your Catfish pepper soup with boiled yam, plantain, rice, agidi (eko, corn paste pudding) etc.

This Nigerian fish pepper soup is packed full of flavor, spicy, and delicious.This catfish pepper soup recipe is easy, quick, and ready in 15 minutes.

Nutritional Information

Here's an estimate of the nutritional content per serving:

Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings): 267 calories; 6 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 38 grams protein; 808 milligrams sodium.

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Enjoy your homemade Catfish Pepper Soup!

Related Recipes

If you enjoyed my Catfish pepper soup (Point and kill), you will also enjoy the Baked Catfish in Pepper sauce (point and kill), Yam pepper soup (Ji mmiri oku), Foil baked fish with vegetables and Nigerian seafood chowder.

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