West African Seafood Okro Stew

Serves: 8 | Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes | Difficulty: Medium

Jam-packed full of vegetables and spices, okro stew is as nourishing as it is delicious. Rich in dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals, it is often prepared with meat, or in this case, seafood, and is most commonly served alongside banku or rice.

Ingredients

Okro Soup

200g Tropical Sun Palm Oil

1 red onion

Blend

1 onion

20g ginger

1 Scotch bonnet

3 garlic cloves

2 tomatoes

Spices

1 teaspoon locust bean ground*

2 tablespoon Tropical Sun Crayfish Powder

2 tablespoon Ground Prawns*

Cod

2 Cod Fillets

½ teaspoon Tropical Sun All Purpose Seasoning

½ teaspoon Tropical Sun Celery Salt

1  teaspoon Tropical Sun Crushed Red Chillies

1 lemon zest

3 sprigs thyme

1 tablespoon Tropical Sun Pimento (Whole)

1 bulb garlic

400ml water

1 teaspoon Tropical Sun Fish Stock Powder

Okro

500g okro, diced (1cm)

300ml water

1 tsp Tropical Sun Bicarbonate of Soda

*These ingredients can be found in your local African grocery stores.

Method

1. Heat the palm oil in a heavy based pan on a medium heat, until smoke begins to appear and the oil changes colour.
2. Fry the red onion in the pan until soft, then add the blended onion, ginger, scotch bonnet, garlic and tomatoes.
3. Add the locust bean, crayfish and ground prawns and stir thoroughly. Cook the sauce until the liquid has reduced and the palm oil separates at the top of the pan.
4. Add the smoked mackerel, the prawns and stir gently.
5. Place the Okro, bicarbonate of soda and cold water in a separate pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 mins then add to the sauce.
6. Season the cod with the all purpose seasoning, celery salt, crushed red chillies and lemon zest.
7. Poach the cod in a stock of the thyme, pimento seeds, garlic, water and fish stock cubes for approx 12 minutes.
8. Once cooked, gently remove from the cod and then flake into the Okro soup.
9. Simmer for 10 mins then remove from the heat and allow to cool.