Name: Pepesoup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Equatorial Guinea, Central Africa
Ingredients: 800 g firm white fish, cut into large chunks; 1 large onion, roughly chopped; 3 whole scotch bonnet peppers, left whole; 1 tsp calabash nutmeg, ground; 1 tsp alligator pepper, ground; 3 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 thumb fresh ginger, sliced; 6 cups water

Pepesoup

A fiery, aromatic fish soup spiced with calabash nutmeg, alligator pepper, and scotch bonnet. A beloved Central African restorative served at celebrations and as a hangover cure.

Country

Equatorial Guinea

Region

Central Africa

Time

45 min

Serves

Level

medium

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Pepesoup is the universal comfort food of Central and West Africa, and Equatorial Guinea's version has its own distinct character thanks to the Bubi people of Bioko Island. Fresh fish from the Gulf of Guinea is simmered in an intensely spiced broth featuring indigenous aromatics. It is served at celebrations, offered to new mothers for recovery, and consumed the morning after festivities as a restorative.

What the dish tastes like

A fiery, aromatic fish soup spiced with calabash nutmeg, alligator pepper, and scotch bonnet. A beloved Central African restorative served at celebrations and as a hangover cure.

When to cook it

Best for Celebrations, recovery meals, cold evenings, with a medium cooking level and about 45 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

White rice or boiled yam

Season the fish

Rub the fish chunks with salt, a squeeze of lemon juice, and half the ground spices. Let sit for 10 minutes.

This brief marination firms up the fish and prevents it from falling apart in the soup.

Season fish 10:00

Build the broth

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and remaining spices. Boil for 10 minutes to create a fragrant broth.

Boil aromatics 10:00

Add the fish

Gently lower the seasoned fish into the broth. Add the whole scotch bonnet peppers. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes until the fish is opaque and cooked through.

Do not stir vigorously â€” use a gentle swirling motion to prevent the fish from breaking.

Cook fish 15:00

Adjust and serve

Taste the broth and adjust salt and pepper. For more heat, gently press one of the scotch bonnets against the side of the pot. Ladle into bowls, ensuring each serving gets fish and broth. Serve hot.

The soup should be thin and brothy, not thick â€” it is meant to be sipped as well as eaten.

Pepesoup

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Step-by-step instructions

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