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Fetri detsi (Ewe okra soup with crab)
Fetri detsi: the Volta Region's okra soup with crab, smoked fish and meat, for akple
Along the Volta lagoons and in towns like Ho and Keta, the Ewe cook fetri detsi when there are fresh crabs to be had: a light tomato and pepper broth made rich with beef or goat, smoked fish and crab, then thickened at the last minute with chopped okra until it turns silky and slippery. It is eaten with akple, a smooth dough of corn and cassava, which is dipped and pulled through the soup. The flavours are of the sea, smoke and fresh pepper. Buy live crabs from a reputable fishmonger and discard any that are dead, cracked or smell off before cooking. Avoid overcooking the okra; added too early it loses its bright green and its draw. Chef's tip: add the okra only at the end and cook it for no more than 8 minutes; overcooked okra loses its green colour and its slipperiness, the very thing this soup is about.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the broth
- 1 ⅛ lb beef or goatin small chunks
- 1 onionchopped
- ⅔ oz fresh gingergrated
- 3 garlic clovescrushed
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 6 ¼ cups water
- 1 onionhalved
For the seafood and okra
- 4 live blue or mud crabsabout 800 g, cleaned and halved by the fishmonger
- 7 oz smoked fishskin and bones removed, in pieces
- 14 oz fresh okratops trimmed, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp red palm oil (optional)
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (6)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 1 ⅛ lb beef or goat, 1 onion, ⅔ oz fresh ginger, 3 garlic cloves and 1 ½ tsp salt in a large pot, cover and steam over a medium heat until the meat releases its juices.
10 minStep 2: Add 6 ¼ cups water, 3 ripe tomatoes, 1 onion and 2 Scotch bonnet chillies, bring to the boil and simmer until the vegetables are soft.
15 minStep 3: Lift out the tomatoes, onion and chillies, blend them smooth with a little stock and pour back into the pot. Simmer until the meat is tender.
15 minStep 4: Scrub 4 live blue or mud crabs under cold water and add them with 7 oz smoked fish. Simmer until the crab shells are bright orange-red all over and the meat inside is white and opaque.
10 minStep 5: Stir in 14 oz fresh okra and 2 tbsp red palm oil and simmer, stirring, until the soup turns thick and slippery and the okra is just tender and still green.
7 minStep 6: Serve at once with akple or banku, with a bowl for the shells.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fetri detsi (Ewe okra soup with crab) take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of fresh ginger?
- ¼ tsp ground ginger per tbsp fresh (add it with the spices).
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