Catfish Peppersoup

Catfish pepper soup is a hot, thin, aromatic broth built on the Nigerian pepper soup spice blend, and it is what fills local bars in the evening. The fish has a name that tells you how it is bought. Catfish in Nigeria is widely called point and kill, you point at a live fish in a tank and it is killed and cooked for you there. That freshness is much of the point, because catfish deteriorates quickly and the difference between fresh and not is stark. The broth follows the pepper soup rules: no thickener, no palm oil, and the aromatics doing all the work. Calabash nutmeg, ehuru, is the defining spice, with uda and uziza seed alongside, and the heat is meant to be substantial. Catfish suits it particularly well. It is oily enough to give the broth body without any thickener, and firm enough to hold together in the pot, which softer fish do not. It is drunk as much as eaten, and it is a standard remedy for cold weather and for colds. It is also served with white rice or agidi. Fresh catfish is slimy and needs washing thoroughly, often with hot water or lime.