Welcome to Chefsbase. On this page, I will be telling you about fish pepper soup as it concerns my country, Nigeria. Nigerian fish pepper soup is a tasty soup loaded with seasonings and herbs that give it the aromatic and medicinal reputation it has had and continues to have.

So, your girl tested positive for COVID earlier yesterday. Truth is, I kind of knew before going for the test because the symptoms were much worse than the symptoms I would have with the common flu.

It all started a few days ago when my little one’s daycare called me to say I needed to pick him up because he was sneezing and coughing at random. I dashed down there and was surprised to see the seriousness of his runny nose. I carried him home and gave him some OTC flu medication.

By nighttime, I began sneezing as well and that was it, it just got worse over the next couple of days.

As a Nigerian who grew up in Nigeria, we have our natural methods of attending to the symptoms brought on by the severe flu. While some people turn to herbal concoctions and fluids, my mum would turn to pepper soup.

How to Make Nigerian Fish Pepper Soup

Pepper soup as the name implies is a spicy soup loaded with spices and herbs that give it the medicinal reputation it has had and continues to have.

You can cook it with any choice of meats, though cow meat, goat meat, fish, or chicken are more popular options.

We believe consuming it when experiencing feverish conditions or flu symptoms can bring about immense relief.

Having a face towel close by might be useful as you will likely break out in a good sweat after sipping on a bowl of this delicious, yet therapeutic soup.

Nigerian Fish Pepper Soup Ingredients

1. Ground Pepper Soup Spices

These can be found in local African shops. It is a ground mixture of peppercorns, alligator pepper, nutmeg, and so on. I usually would prefer buying them whole and grinding them, but just buying the ones already ground reduces your stress and time.

2. Scotch Bonnets

The quantity to be used here will be determined by your spice tolerance. If you don’t enjoy spicy food, you can skip it altogether and perhaps opt for some chilli powder instead, however, that takes away from the essence of the soup.

Some persons also add blended red bell peppers for some colour.

3. Garlic and Ginger

These can be used according to your preference.

4. Protein

I used tilapia fish for this recipe but hey, you are free to play with your choice of meats. If opting for cow or goat meat, I would advise cutting them into bite sizes, that just makes it easier to eat.

Greens: This is used just as a garnish. I used fresh basil, but you can use any vegetable within reach – fresh spinach, parsley, coriander, etc.