Sopa de Pescado — Print Recipe

A fragrant tomato-based fish soup enriched with palm oil, fresh herbs, and root vegetables. The coastal catch simmers gently until the broth becomes a rich, warming elixir of the sea.

Ingredients

1kg mixed firm fish (grouper, snapper), cut into large pieces
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 large onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 plantains, peeled and sliced
300g cassava, peeled and cubed
2 tbsp palm oil
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tsp smoked paprika
6 cups fish stock or water
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

1 Season the fish pieces generously with salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika. Set aside to marinate while preparing the vegetables and aromatic base.
2 Heat palm oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Saute the onions until golden, about eight minutes. Add garlic and cook one minute more until fragrant.
3 Add the chopped tomatoes and cook down for ten minutes, stirring occasionally, until they break down into a thick, rich sauce that clings to the spoon.
4 Pour in the fish stock, add the bay leaf and whole scotch bonnet pepper. Bring to a boil, then add the cassava cubes. Simmer for fifteen minutes until the cassava begins to soften.
5 Add the plantain slices and continue simmering for another ten minutes. The starch from the cassava and plantains will naturally thicken the broth.
6 Gently place the seasoned fish pieces into the simmering soup. Cook for twelve minutes without stirring vigorously to keep the fish intact. The fish is done when it flakes easily.
7 Remove the bay leaf and scotch bonnet. Ladle into deep bowls, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve hot with crusty bread.

Did You Know?

Equatorial Guinea is the only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, and its fish soup blends Spanish culinary technique with Central African ingredients like palm oil and cassava.