Stockfish substitute

Substitutes for Stockfish with ratios

1. 2Dried Smoked Fish (Mangala, Catfish, Mackerel)

   Taste and texture differ

   Use the same amount by weight

   The other pantry staple of the same cuisine and usually cheaper and easier to find than stockfish.

   What changes

   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.

2. 3Ground Crayfish or Dried Shrimp

   Taste and texture differ

   Use 2 tablespoons ground for every litre of soup, in place of a 3 to 4 ounce piece of stockfish

   The most reliable way to replace what stockfish contributes to the broth.

   What changes

   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.

3. 4Fresh or Frozen Cod, Pollock or Haddock Plus a Savoury Boost

   Taste and texture differ

   About 1 pound fresh fish per 4 ounces dried stockfish, plus 1 tablespoon ground crayfish or 1 teaspoon fish sauce per litre

   The supermarket answer.

   What changes

   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.

4. 5Dried Shiitake Mushrooms

   Different taste

   Use 4 to 5 caps, soaked and sliced, plus their strained soaking liquid, for every 4 ounces of stockfish

   Sounds unlikely and works surprisingly well, because dried shiitake does the same two things stockfish does: deep savoury depth and a firm, springy chew.

   What changes

   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.

5. 6Anchovy Paste or Fish Sauce (Flavour Only, Last Resort)

   Taste and texture differ

   Use 1 teaspoon anchovy paste or 2 teaspoons fish sauce for every litre of soup

   For when there is no dried seafood in the house at all.

   What changes

   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.