10 Must Try Delicious African Fish Dishes
The best way to understand a culture is to discover how its members treat their gut. That’s the key to a culture’s heart!
Discover more: What Is African Food Like?
Africa is a diverse continent with more than a thousand different cultures. We are spoiled for choice as to which dishes to write about and which ones to leave out.
Nonetheless, we just had to pick 10 out of the over 1000 interesting African fish cuisines. Such an injustice! Well, we had to, otherwise, this would have turned into a giant encyclopedia.
10. Senegalese Jollof Fish Stew
Jollof is a popular West African dish. It can be accompanied by meat, fish, and other delicacies. Those who live near fish sources prefer to use fish instead of meat. The main ingredients are rice and fish. Other ingredients are:
- sweet potatoes
- cabbages
- and shrimp bouillon.
To be able to prepare this West Africa’s most loved cuisine, please visit Yummy Medley information on all ingredients and the cooking instructions.1
9. North African Grilled Swordfish Toast
North Africans like having grilled fish dishes as they do love their toast. Blending fish and toast brings us to their hearty grilled swordfish toast.
The primary ingredients of the North African grilled swordfish toast are the swordfish and sliced white bread.
Other ingredients include green olives and the spicy delicious harissa. You can get sumptuous details on how to prepare this finger-licking fish dish from Sunset.2
8. Abacha and Ugba
Abacha and Ugba are an authentic delicacy that you can make for a mouth-watering dinner. It is one of the most loved West African dishes, especially in Nigeria. It is the most formidable competitor to Jollof. The primary ingredients are:
- fish (preferably Titus fish)
- abacha
- ugba
- ogiri
- ehuru (calabash nutmeg)
- and palm oil.
Enjoy this unique West African cuisine by learning how to prepare it yourself from the experts at Cookpad.3
7. South African Spiced Egg-Salmon
South Africa is a large and diverse country. Being a ‘rainbow’ nation, it is a melting pot of cultures that include the Africans, Boers, Europeans, Asians, among others.
Each of them has contributed to adding value to the South African cuisine. The most popular South African fish dish is the Spiced Egg-Salmon. The basic ingredients are fish fillets (salmon), eggs, and spices.
To descend your guts to this land of gold, Allys Kitchen provides you with meticulous instructions and great recipes that will make your South African spiced egg-salmon standout on the dining table.4
6. Ethiopian Spicy Fish Stew
Ethiopia is an ancient civilization with an extremely distinct cuisine. Ethiopian dishes have a distinct spicy delicious taste. Ethiopians are proud of their rich cultural heritage and cuisine.
Nonetheless, some of their cuisines have been seasoned by the Italian and Arabic influences. Injera is the staple food loved in Ethiopia and some parts of Somalia and Sudan.
It is a rice-based. However, the Ethiopian Spicy fish stew is often taken as a break from the injera or as an accompaniment that rests on the injera spread. The basic ingredients of this spicy dish are fish, red onions, berbere paste, red wine, and peanut oil, among others.
African Shop provides you with all you need to know for the preparation of this delicious meal.5
5. Fish Calulu – Angolan Fish Dish Sauce
Angola is a Portuguese-speaking country in South-Western Africa. Fish Calulu is Angola’s traditional fish recipe. It is particularly unique due to its Okra and palm oil ingredients.
Other unique ingredients are the sweet potato leaves and zucchinis. For best preparation, you can follow the instructions provided at Arousing Appetites.6 With these instructions, be sure to have a great Angolan meal at your dining table for an arousing family appetite.
4. Somali Spicy Fish Sauce
Somalis are famous for pasta, macaroni, and pastries. Their cuisine received a heavy influence from the Italian taste. Apart from pastries (and of course the traditional injera, which they have slightly altered its pronunciation), Somalis are good in other dishes, especially fish dishes.
This is more so because Somalia has the longest coastline in entire Africa. The most popular Somali fish dish is the Spicy fish sauce. Its primary ingredients include fish (kingfish), potatoes, eggplant, cilantro, among others. This fish sauce can be taken with any other meal, especially rice.
For a gastronomical trip to Somalia, get exemplary instructions from My Somali Food.7 Here you will be able to recreate your own Somali map right from the kitchen to your gut via the dining table.
3. Chadian Fish Dish
Chad is a landlocked central African country. Its main source of fish is Lake Chad. Chad’s unique fish recipe comprises of fish (Tilapia, eel, Nile perch, among others), flour, and tomatoes.
You can have it with a side dish of your preferred choice. To learn how to prepare a hot stove simmer of this delicious Chadian cuisine, please get onto your journey with Travel By Stove.8
2. Congolese Fried Tilapia
Congolese are not only famed for their Lingala music and fashion extravagance but much more. They are also great cooks. They have a rich cuisine. One among these is the Congolese Fried Tilapia.
The Congolese fried tilapia comprises tilapia, peas, beans, and peas as the major ingredients. There are many other ingredients which you can get together with requisite instructions from Immigrant Kitchens.9
If indeed you want a gastronomical ‘ndombolo’ dance, do not miss trying out this recipe.
1. Mtuzi Wa Samaki (Swahili fish stew)
Mtuzi Wa Samaki is a Swahili fish stew common along the East African coastal region spreading from Zanzibar to Kenya. The Swahili word “mtuzi wa samaki” translates to simply “fish stew”.
The unique thing about this dish is the use of Coconut milk extracted from coconut fruit that is so common along the East African coast, especially in Mombasa, Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar.
Tilapia is the most widely used fish as it is plentifully available locally. For more ingredients and instructions on how to prepare this yummy Swahili dish in a Swahili setup, visit Pika Chakula.10
Hungry yet?
Africa is a country rich in cultural diversity, and so is its cuisine. Fish is plenty in Africa due to its water bodies, including the second-longest sea coast, longest river, deepest lake, and the second-largest freshwater lake.
Africa is simply surrounded by plenty of fish – right from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean, and the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. This makes fish an important delicacy.
We’ve done our best to provide you with the most interesting African fish dishes and to enable you to have a gastronomic taste of Africa right within your dining room.
Resources: