Stockfish substitutes
Stockfish substitutes — 6 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Salt cod (bacalao, Bacalhau), well soaked
Same amount by dry weight as the stockfish
Well-soaked salt cod is the closest swap at 1:1 by dry weight, because it is the only common ingredient that gives you both the savoury depth and the dense chew. If you only need the flavour, 2 tablespoons of ground crayfish or dried shrimp per litre of soup does the job. Dried smoked fish works too but flakes apart and tastes smokier. Nothing truly replaces the chew.
- Verdict —
- Works
- Best for —
- egusi soup
Updated 26 Jul 2026 · no sponsored swaps
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of stockfish | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salt cod (bacalao, Bacalhau), well soakedegusi soup | Same amount by dry weightWorks | Works |
| 2 | Dried smoked fish (mangala, catfish, mackerel)egusi soup | Same amount by weightYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 3 | Ground crayfish or dried shrimpall West African soups | 2 tablespoons ground per litre of soup, in place of a 3 to 4 ounce piece of stockfishYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 4 | Fresh or frozen cod, pollock or haddock plus a savoury boostpepper soup | About 1 pound fresh fish per 4 ounces dried stockfish, plus 1 tablespoon ground crayfish or 1 teaspoon fish sauce per litreYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 5 | Dried shiitake mushroomsvegetarian versions of West African soups | 4 to 5 caps, soaked and sliced, plus their strained soaking liquid per 4 ounces of stockfishTweak it | Tweak it |
| 6 | Anchovy paste or fish sauce (flavour only, last resort)emergency substitution | 1 teaspoon anchovy paste or 2 teaspoons fish sauce per litre of soupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
Salt cod (bacalao, Bacalhau), well soaked
similar taste and texture
The best texture match by a wide margin, since it is the same fish preserved a different way. Soak it 12 to 24 hours in cold water in the fridge with 3 or 4 water changes, then add it to the pot as you would stockfish.
- Best for
- egusi soup, ogbono soup, oha soup, bitterleaf soup, banga and pepper soups
Critically, salt cod is salted and stockfish is not, so add no salt to the pot until you have tasted at the end. Discard the soaking water rather than using it. Slightly softer and saltier than stockfish; otherwise very close.
Dried smoked fish (mangala, catfish, mackerel)
different taste and texture
The other pantry staple of the same cuisine and usually cheaper and easier to find than stockfish. It gives real savoury weight to the broth and is often used alongside stockfish rather than instead of it.
- Best for
- egusi soup, okra soup, afang soup, vegetable soups, stews
Brings obvious wood smoke and a stronger, more assertive fish flavour, and it flakes apart in the pot instead of staying in springy chunks, so you lose the bite that people actually want from okporoko. Debone it before it goes in.
Ground crayfish or dried shrimp
different taste and texture
The most reliable way to replace what stockfish contributes to the broth. It dissolves into the soup and gives concentrated savoury depth almost instantly, which is why it is in nearly every Nigerian soup recipe already.
- Best for
- all West African soups, stews, pepper sauces
Sweeter and distinctly shellfish-forward compared with stockfish's aged, marine savour, and it gives you nothing at all to chew on. If chew matters, pair it with salt cod or shiitake and use the crayfish for depth.
Fresh or frozen cod, pollock or haddock plus a savoury boost
different taste and texture
The supermarket answer. Add the fish in the last 5 to 8 minutes so it does not disintegrate, and use the crayfish or fish sauce to supply the aged depth that fresh fish cannot.
- Best for
- pepper soup, light soups, quick weeknight versions
Honest assessment: mild, clean and pleasant, but the soup tastes young. Drying concentrates and ages flavour in a way that no amount of fresh fish reproduces, and fresh fish falls to shreds where stockfish stays chunky.
Dried shiitake mushrooms
different taste, similar texture
Sounds unlikely and works surprisingly well, because dried shiitake does the same two things stockfish does: deep savoury depth and a firm, springy chew. This is also the answer if you want the soup without fish.
- Best for
- vegetarian versions of West African soups, egusi soup, ogbono soup, when no fish is available
The aroma is earthy and woody rather than marine, so the soup smells like mushrooms and not like the sea. Use the soaking liquid as part of your stock; that is where much of the savour is.
Anchovy paste or fish sauce (flavour only, last resort)
different taste and texture
For when there is no dried seafood in the house at all. It adds salty marine savour immediately and keeps the soup from tasting like vegetables in oil.
- Best for
- emergency substitution, quick soups, seasoning a flat pot
Sharper and more pungent than stockfish, salty enough that you must cut back the salt, and it contributes nothing to bite. Stir it in early so the raw pungency cooks off, and start with less than you think.
Questions
5 questionsIs stockfish the same as salt cod?
No, though they are often the same fish. Stockfish is air-dried on racks with no salt at all, which makes it rock-hard, shelf-stable and unsalted. Salt cod is heavily salted and then dried, so it must be soaked for many hours to be edible. In a soup they behave similarly once rehydrated, but salt cod brings a great deal of salt with it and stockfish brings none.
Can I use fresh fish instead of stockfish?
You can, and plenty of people do, but be clear about what you are getting. Stockfish supplies deep aged savouriness and a dense springy chew. Fresh cod or pollock gives mild flavour and soft flakes that break up in the pot. Add fresh fish in the last few minutes and add ground crayfish, dried shrimp or a teaspoon of fish sauce to make up the missing depth.
Can I just leave stockfish out?
Yes. Plenty of good soups are made without it, especially when money is tight, which is one of the main reasons people search for a substitute in the first place. Just do not leave the gap unfilled: add ground crayfish, dried smoked fish or dried shiitake and their soaking liquid, or the soup will taste noticeably flat and one-dimensional.
How much stockfish do I need for a pot of soup?
For a large family pot of egusi or ogbono, most recipes use somewhere around 3 to 6 ounces of dried stockfish, which swells considerably once soaked. It is a seasoning and a textural element rather than the main protein, so you do not need much. Start at the lower end if you are also using dried smoked fish and crayfish, since all three stack.
Why is my stockfish still hard after cooking?
It was not soaked or pre-boiled long enough. Really hard, thick pieces sometimes need a full 24 hours of cold soaking with water changes, or 30 minutes at a boil, before they even go into the soup. Thin pieces and stockfish sold pre-cut soften much faster. Age matters too: very old stockfish can stay stubborn no matter what you do.
Tips for substituting stockfish
5 tips- Soak hard stockfish 12 to 24 hours in cold water, or boil it 20 to 30 minutes before it joins the pot. Skip that step and you get rubbery pieces and a soup that never picks up its flavour.
- Save the soaking or boiling water from stockfish and use it as part of your soup liquid, because a lot of the savour is in it. Do the opposite with salt cod: that water is brine and should be thrown out.
- Add stockfish early with the meat. Unlike fresh fish, it cannot overcook to mush in 40 minutes, and it needs that time to rehydrate in the stock and give up its flavour.
- Stockfish is unsalted, which is part of why cooks like it: you control the salt. If you swap in salt cod or dried smoked fish, taste the pot before salting or you will oversalt it.
- Stockfish head is bought for gelatin and body rather than for meat. It enriches the broth and gives very little to eat, so buy it in addition to fillet pieces, not instead of them.