Asa Fish

Asa fish is the African knifefish, and it goes by four names

Online grocers and a Nigerian food blogger agree that asa fish is the aba knifefish, Gymnarchus niloticus. Yoruba cooks say eja osan, Igbo speakers say azu asa, Hausa speakers say dansarki, and the name aba, which FishBase uses, is reported as the Ijo word. It is an odd-looking fish. It is eel-like but scaled, has no pelvic, anal or tail fins, and swims by rippling a long dorsal fin. It also produces a weak electric field that it uses to find its way and its prey. FishBase gives a maximum length near 167 cm and a weight of about 18.5 kg, and places it in river systems including the Niger, Volta, Chad, Senegal and Gambia.

Why asa is the prestige fish of the market

A published study of this species in Epe lagoon, near Lagos, calls it one of the most highly valued freshwater fishes in Nigeria, with great socio-cultural importance. The same paper says the supply depends largely on wild catches, made with hooks and lines, nets and traps. Nigerian sources add the cultural detail. A food blog says the fish is not farmed and is used as part of a bride price, a retailer lists it among the items on a Yoruba wedding list, and an encyclopedia entry describes it as a gift from suitors to the bride's family. FAO's survey of Nigerian inland waters also records declines among larger species, Gymnarchus included, in some of the waters it covered. Wild-caught and ceremonial: that combination helps explain why sellers call asa one of the most expensive fish in Nigeria.

Is asa always the knifefish? An Igbo naming wrinkle

Retail listings and recipe blogs use azu asa for the knifefish. Igbo word lists are less tidy. An online Igbo-English dictionary lists asa as a species of fish without saying which one. A list of Igbo animal names gives azu asa for tilapia. A public list of names Igbo speakers use for river fish includes asa beside names such as okpo. So in Igbo-speaking homes the word may mean different fish depending on the place and the speaker. On a pack, the safest labels are "knifefish", "eja osan" or the Latin name. If tilapia is what you are after, see our tilapia page instead.

Fresh or smoked: what the market sells

Grocers that ship Nigerian food sell the fish in two ways. Fresh knifefish is sold as a whole medium-sized fish. Smoked asa is sold by the steak or in slices, with one listing counting about 10 to 12 slices from a medium fish, and several listings describe the dried product as skin-on and bone-in. A Nigerian food blogger adds that the fish can be cooked fresh in soups and stews or smoked and dried to keep, which is the only cooking detail published for it. No particular soup is named, so the rest of this page borrows technique from recipes for other smoked fish and says so.

How to soak and portion a smoked asa steak

Treat it like any thick smoked fish. Soak the steak in warm salted water and press the thickest part with a fingertip. The published guidance is for dried catfish, at 10 to 20 minutes, and a thick steak may want the long end of that range or a little more. Stop when the flesh gives slightly. Rinse under cold water, pull out any loose bones, and break or cut the steak into portions that can be lifted out whole. If you want to leave it for longer, soak it in the refrigerator rather than on the counter.

Where a prized fish goes in the pot

In Sisi Jemimah's ogbono soup, smoked catfish and stockfish go in only after the meats are tender. The smoked catfish simmers for just five or six minutes with the cooked offal before the seasonings, palm oil and ground ogbono go in. Her one rule is not to cover the pot after the ogbono is stirred in, which protects the soup's signature draw. In her efo riro, the stockfish and smoked catfish are boiled until tender and set aside until the pepper base is ready for them.

Both habits suit an expensive fish: put it in late, in portions, and lift it rather than stirring it. Since no soup is documented for smoked asa, take this as technique borrowed from other smoked fish, not a documented tradition. In an ogbono pot, serve it with any swallow you like, including pounded yam made from our pounded yam flour.

Buying and keeping an expensive fish

Sellers treat asa as a premium fish, so inspect it before you pay. Look for firm, dry steaks with a clean smoky smell, and no white fuzz around the bone or skin. Thick steaks hold more moisture than thin pieces, so check the thickest part and the inside of the bag. At home, wrap steaks well, refrigerate what you will use soon and freeze the rest, and keep the pieces away from foods that could pick up the smell. Anyone with a fish allergy should avoid asa as they would any other fish.

If you want to compare it with another freshwater smoked fish, mud fish, which points to smoked catfish, is the nearest page in this range.

Hearing when asa fish is listed

Asa fish is not on sale yet, and no date has been set. The Notify me form on this page is how you hear about it first. The full category shows what else is on the way.