Cat fish pepper soup – Point and kill recipe

Dobby

9 years ago

Happy Independence day and happy new month everyone! Well, well, hope you had a wonderful celebration like i did. Most people said it wasn’t as bubbly as it used to be due to the budget cut but i guess a change has finally come to our dear country. Here’s how the day went down for me; i woke up early in the morning to watch the independence day speech by President Muhammadu Buhari then headed to the market to get fish for cat fish pepper soup a.k.a point and kill. The name point and kill is a popular name for this dish and was coined from the fact that when you go to local restaurants or bars to order for this delicacy, you’d be taken to a fish pond to select the fish you want. To select, you point at the fish and it would be brought out of the water and killed. Next, all you have to do is relax for about 20-30 minutes for the cat fish pepper soup to be prepared. Cat fish pepper soup is a tasty and healthy delicacy prepared with local herbs and enjoyed by many. Here’s how it’s made…

How to make cat fish pepper soup
• Prep time: 15 mins
• Cook time: 15 mins

• Total time: 30 mins
• Misc: Serve hot

Ingredients:::

• 1 medium sized Cat Fish

• 3 Calabash Nutmeg seeds (Ehu/Ariwo)

• 4 Habanero Pepper or chili pepper (to taste)- ground

• 2 tbsp. Crayfish – ground

• A handful scent leaves

• 4 Utazi leaves

• 1 medium sized onion

• 2 seasoning cubes

• Salt to taste

Directions:::

Step 1: To prepare the fish, cut the cat fish into 1-inch thick slices as shown HERE. Boil some hot water and pour on the pieces of fish, stir and remove immediately. This toughens the skin of the fish so that it does not fall apart during cooking. For a detailed tutorial on how to kill and clean catfish, Click Here.

Step 2: Now it is time to prepare the ‘secret’ ingredient. There are two methods of doing this;
Method 1: Using an old frying pan, roast the Ehu seeds (stirring constantly) till you can smell it. Another way to know that it is OK is to take one of the seeds and try to remove the outer membrane. If the membrane comes off easily, then the Ehu is done. Peel off the skin and grind the ehu in a dry mill.

Method 2: Roast the iwo/ erhe over direct flame. Remove the shell and pound into a smooth powder. Calabash nutmeg is also known as; Gudan Miya, Ikpoosa, Ehuru, Ehu, Posa, Iwo, Erhe.

Step 3: Cut the onions into tiny pieces – Set aside. Wash and pick the scent leaves and utazi leaves, slice into smaller pieces – Set aside.

Step 4: Place the pieces of fish in a pot, add the chopped onion and pour water just enough to cover the fish, add the crushed seasoning and bring to the boil. Once it starts to boil add the ground pepper, ehu, crayfish, salt to taste and continue cooking for about 5 mins. Once the catfish is done, add the chopped leaves. Leave to simmer for about 3 minutes and it’s ready!
Serve the cat fish pepper soup hot!