Nigerian Red Stew with Roasted Salmon
Recipe by Jazzmine Woodard
Dash of Jazz
Prep: 5 min
Cook: 40 min
Total: 45 min
Servings: 6
Ingredients
6 roma tomatoes cut in halves
½ white onion
1 bell pepper
2 scotch bonnet peppers or habanero peppers
2 tablespoons water
2-3 tablespoons avocado oil or another oil with high smoke point
1 tablespoon tomato paste rounded
8 ounces tomato sauce
2 maggi cubes crushed
curry powder to taste
sea salt to taste
white pepper to taste
black pepper to taste
6 Kvaroy Salmon Filets thawed
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare a sheet pan with non-stick oil spray. Set aside.
Add tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, scotch bonnet peppers, and water to a blender and pulse until smooth and uniform (about three minutes).
Meanwhile, add avocado oil to a large pot over medium-high flame to heat.
Pour tomato mixture into pot of heated oil to cook then stir in tomato paste, tomato sauce, maggi cubes, curry powder, and white pepper. Let this cook, stirring once a minute or so to release liquid from the mixture. Reduce heat to medium if it begins to splatter too much.
Remove salmon filets from packaging and pat dry. Place filets skin side-down onto sheet pan and season with sea salt and black pepper.
Place sheet pan into oven and allow salmon to roast for about 10 minutes or until it turns an opaque pink color and flakes until gentle pressure. See recipe notes for tips on doneness.
After about 10 minutes, the tomato mixture should become bubbly, thickened, and darker in color. Continue stirring to release more of the liquid.
Next, taste test and salt the stew as necessary. The maggi cubes have a lot of salt so you may not need to add much.
Continue cooking until the stew reaches your desired consistency and some of the oil dissipates. If desired, spoon out any excess oil once the stew is finished cooking.
Serve salmon and stew with rice. See recipe notes for storage tips.
Notes (From the Recipe Creator)
How do I know when the stew is done? Red stew is done when the texture is thickened and any bitter or tanginess (from the tomatoes) is cooked out. The color should be a dark red-orange. Cooking time is approximately 30 minutes for this.
How to I know when the salmon is done? Roasted salmon is ready when the flesh has changed from red and translucent to pink and opaque. Press gently on the filet with a fork and it should flake. That's how you know your salmon is done roasting. Cooking time is approximately 10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit but will vary by appliance and altitude.
What if my stew is too thin? If stew is too thin, it likely needs to continue cooking down. As stew cooks, liquid is released from the produce and leaves the pot as steam. You can also add more pureed vegetables (peppers, tomatoes, and onions) without any additional water and allow the mixture to continue cooking down until thickened. It is not necessary to add thickeners such as cornstarch to red stew.
How to store my salmon and stew? Store the stew and salmon together in an airtight container in the fridge. It keeps up to three days. You can also freeze this meal, however, I recommend separating the stew and salmon before doing so for easier reheating.
Place each in separate airtight containers before freezing and thaw overnight in the fridge or in about six hours at room temperature, when ready to eat. Keeps in freezer for up to three months.
About The Recipe Creator
Jazzmine Woodard is the Houston-based recipe developer and creator behind Dash of Jazz, which she launched in 2015. Growing up in a multicultural family with a Black American mother and Nigerian Yoruba father, Jazzmine’s food reflects the flavors and traditions that shaped her, from the American Soul Food she learned in her grandmother’s kitchen to the Nigerian dishes taught by her aunt. Today, she creates flavorful, approachable recipes designed for busy home cooks, combining cultural inspiration, everyday ingredients and plenty of fun along the way.
We’re featuring Jazzmine because food can nourish us while also connecting us to culture, family and each other. Her recipes bring together the flavors of her Black American and Nigerian heritage with practical ideas for getting a good meal on the table when life is busy. We especially love that she respects the time, energy and money that go into preparing food while still making room for flavor and fun. Her recipes are an invitation to make everyday meals feel a little more meaningful. More recipes can be found on Dash of Jazz.