Efo Riro With Kale and Whitefish

wednesday night nigerian wednesday nights in america onion tomato bell pepper chile pepper garlic tilapia olive oil thyme kale sweet potato/yam african dinner

Kemi Seriki

6-8 servings

Source

Ingredients

1 medium onion, quartered through root end

3 plum tomatoes, quartered

1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into large pieces

1 Scotch bonnet or habanero chile

4 garlic cloves

2 Tbsp. dried bitter leaf

4 skinless tilapia or other whitefish fillets (about 1⅔lb. total), cut into 2" pieces

4 tsp. Old Bay seasoning

Vegetable oil (for frying; about 1 cup)

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp. double-concentrated tomato paste

2 tsp. dried thyme

1½ tsp. garam masala

½ tsp. ground turmeric

1 cube Maggi shrimp or chicken bouillon

3 Tbsp. dried shrimp, rinsed

4 tsp. powdered irú (dawadawa; fermented locust beans)

1 lb. (2 bunches) kale, ribs and stems removed, leaves torn into 2" pieces

Steamed puna yams or rice (for serving)

Method

Purée onion, tomatoes, bell pepper, chile, and garlic in a blender, adding up to ¼ cup water as needed, until smooth. Set purée aside.

Place bitter leaf in a small bowl and pour in hot water to cover. Let sit until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain and finely chop.

Meanwhile, toss fish with Old Bay seasoning in a large bowl to evenly coat. Pour vegetable oil into a large deep saucepan or medium Dutch oven to come ¼" up sides and heat over medium-high until shimmering. Working in batches, arrange fish in a single layer and fry, turning halfway through, until golden, 6–8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.

Pour oil out from pan and wipe out. Heat olive oil in same saucepan over medium-high. Add tomato paste, thyme, garam masala, and turmeric. Cook, stirring, until spices are fragrant and tomato paste is slightly darkened in color, about 1 minute. Stir in reserved purée, scraping up any browned bits, then add bitter leaf, shrimp cube, dried shrimp, and irú. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat so stew is at a simmer and add kale by the handful, stir to wilt slightly before adding more. Once all of the kale has been added, cook (without stirring) until tender, about 5 minutes. Gently fold in fried fish, being careful not to break up too much.

Serve with yams or rice alongside.