My unplanned soup adventure

My good neighbor returned from her vacation this morning and gave me some fresh fish. I gladly thanked her and received it with joy. I love fresh fish badly! I either use it to sip Garri or to prepare a nice pot of soup. I barely use it for rice.

Honestly, I didn’t plan on making fresh fish soup today until she came through with that surprise. Immediately, I seasoned the fish and set it aside for soup preparation. It wasn’t much, so it didn’t require too many ingredients or effort to get it ready for consumption.

I took some money with me and walked down to a nearby grocery shop to grab the few things I’d need. On my list were pepper, seasoning cubes, onions, melon (egusi), oil, and scent leaf (we call it adusa). I already had salt at home.

I didn’t bother buying crayfish, fish is already proteinous enough for me. Some people add both, but I keep it simple.

Without wasting time, I soaked my melon in water, sliced my onions and leaves, pounded the pepper, and broke up the seasoning cubes, some of which I added directly into the melon along with a little pepper. If I had used crayfish, I’d have added it to the melon too.

I rinsed my small pot to be sure it was sand-free and placed it on the cooker to dry. Afterward, I added oil and just a pinch of salt, followed by some onions.

I didn’t let the red oil bleach, since I was making soup. Some people like their oil pale, but I love mine red and hot enough to fry the fish which i added, so it won’t scatter while stirring.

Then I turned the melon paste into the oil and stirred gently, careful not to break the fish.

After a few minutes of sizzling, I added the remaining ingredients; seasoning cubes, pepper, onions, and a bit more salt to taste.

I poured in a little water to get the soup to the thickness I wanted, gave it a careful stir, and let it cook for about five minutes.

Finally, I added the scent leaf (adusa), gave it one last stir, and immediately turned off the cooker.

I didn’t let the leaves overcook, I love them green and slightly crunchy. The scent leaf gave the soup such a sweet aroma 😋. I wish you could perceive it 😄.

I dished it out and served myself with a bowl of Garri. It was delicious!

I ate to my fill and ended up loosening my waistband like someone who just finished a food competition! 😅

Thanks for reading
@ritaetim