Seafood okra soup and semo
Serves: 4
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Kris Kirkham
Seafood okra soup and semo
Semo is a dumpling made from semolina, and it’s the perfect accompaniment for this West African soup
Serves: 4
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
740Kcal
Fat
26gr
Saturates
6gr
Carbs
84gr
Sugars
6gr
Fibre
9gr
Protein
38gr
Salt
2.9gr
Emeka Frederick
Emeka founded Chuku’s in North London – a Nigerian tapas restaurant– with his sister Ifeyinwa. The award-winning duo are on a mission to celebrate the best of Nigerian culture, building a community around good food and good vibes.
See more of Emeka Frederick’s recipes
Emeka Frederick
Emeka founded Chuku’s in North London – a Nigerian tapas restaurant– with his sister Ifeyinwa. The award-winning duo are on a mission to celebrate the best of Nigerian culture, building a community around good food and good vibes.
See more of Emeka Frederick’s recipes
Ingredients
- 350g salmon fillet, skinned
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp coarse ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 350g okra
- 2 tbsp palm oil (we used ethically sourced Carotino red palm oil)
- 1 red pepper, deseeded
- ½ Scotch bonnet chilli
- 2 vegetable stock cubes
- 1 tsp fennel seeds, ground
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp ground dried crayfish (or fish sauce/shrimp paste)
- 200g cooked seafood selection
For the semo
- 400g fine semolina
Step by step
- Start by cooking the salmon; chop into roughly 2.5cm cubes then season with the salt and black pepper. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan, add the cubed salmon and fry for 2-3 minutes per side, until cooked through. Set aside on a plate.
- Cut the tops off all of the okra, then halve lengthways and slice finely. Heat the palm oil in a large saucepan and sauté the okra for 5 minutes, so that it begins to become glutinous.
- While the okra is cooking, roughly chop the red pepper then put in a blender with the Scotch bonnet and 150ml water. Blend until smooth then mix this into the sautéed okra, crumble over the stock cubes and add 250ml water. Cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.
- For the semo, bring 1 litre of water to boiling point in a large pot. Gradually add the semolina and combine to a stiff dough. Reduce to a low heat and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring. Set aside for a few minutes.
- Returning to the okra, stir in the ground fennel, paprika, coriander and crayfish (or alternative). Add the salmon and the seafood; cook for a further 5 minutes to heat through fully.
- With wet hands, mould the semo into dumplings.
- Finally, wash your hands, roll up your sleeves and enjoy breaking off a bit of semo and dipping it into your homemade seafood okra soup.
Chef quote
Okra soup is a popular dish in the family of “soups and swallows”, which are a real staple in Nigerian households. The soups are usually thick like a stew, and the swallows are made from powdered or grated tubers, such as yam or cassava, or milled grains, such as semolina or rice, which are soaked in water and kneaded into a dough.
