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Easy Catfish baked in pepper sauce (Point and kill)

Baked Catfish in Pepper sauce (Point and kill)

gaga
Baked Catfish in Pepper sauce (Point and kill) is spicy with so much flavour infused in the firm and moist fish.
Course Dinner, lunch, Main Course, Side Dish, stew
Cuisine Nigerian
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

  • 200 g shombo pepper (fresh cayenne pepper)
  • 200 g scotch bonnet
  • 400 g onions
  • 3 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3-4 teaspoons fish seasoning
  • 1.5 kg catfish
  • aluminium foil
  • Pepper Sauce

Instructions
 

Prepare the Sauce

  • Wash and puree shombo, scotch bonnet and onions, add salt and seasoning powder, stir well and taste.
  • If you have to use a blender, use just enough water to get the blender to work. On the other hand, you can grind your pepper mix in the market using their heavy-duty grinders without adding water at all. Set aside.

Prepare the Fish

  • Preheat oven to 200 deg. C
  • Wash catfish, cut open the belly and remove the gut. (A post on how to do this coming soon).
  • Rinse and dry the gut. Using a sharp knife make slits about 1 inch apart across the body.
  • Using a sharp knife score the fish by making slits about 1 inch apart across the body of the fish. The Cut should be deep about halfway between the skin and the bone.
  • Sprinkle some salt all over the skin of the fish, the gut cavity and into the slits.
  • Cut out enough aluminium foil to cover the whole catfish.
  • Spread on a baking tray and rub all over with some vegetable oil.
  • Lay fish on the foil and pour your pepper mix all over the fish, into the slits and the gut cavity.
  • Flip the fish and repeat.
  • Drizzle a little oil all over the fish and wrap folding foil lengthwise.
  • Make sure every part of the fish is covered and well-sealed so that the juices will not leak out and there will be even circulation of heat.

Bake

  • Put into the oven and bake for 45 minutes depending on the size of fish, till the fins come off easily when pulled.
  • Take out of the oven and leave to rest for about 2 minutes.
  • Your Baked catfish in pepper sauce is ready for the table.
  • Serve with french fries (potato chips), fried or roasted yam and plantain, with lime, ketchup and coleslaw.

Notes

  • Shombo is fresh cayenne pepper.
  • The pureed pepper should be very well pureed, if your blender isn't powerful enough, use the commercial grinders in the market.
  • Do not use boiling hot water to remove slime when washing fish for roasting, it will stiffen the flesh of the fish rather use lime.
  • The juices from the fish will water down the pepper sauce so be a little generous with the salt and seasoning.
  • You can insert thin slices of lime or lemon into the slits and lay some on top of the fish.
  • Bake the fish in an oven set at between 180 deg. C and 230 deg. C,  the bigger the fish, the higher the temperature.
  • Make sure to taste your pepper sauce before using it.
  • Scouring helps distribute heat in the fish for even cooking and also for the seasoning to get inside the flesh.
  • Make sure to grease the aluminium foil so that the fish won't stick to it.
  • Be careful to wrap fish well, so there will be no leakage, it also helps to keep the steam inside for moist fish flesh.
  • Fish seasoning in powder, cube or liquid form is different from crayfish seasoning.
  • If you don't have fish seasoning, use all-purpose seasoning cubes or powder.
Keyword fish, food pocket, Party food, peppersauce, pocket food, spicy