🇪🇹 Ethiopian · Fish & Seafood
🍲 Ethiopian Fish Stew
አሣ ወጥ ቀላል — Asa Wet Qelal
Ethiopian Everyday Fish Stew — a simplified fish stew with tomatoes, onions, berbere, and garlic. The quick-cooking fasting-period fish dish that Ethiopian Orthodox Christians prepare during the 200+ annual fasting days. Simple, nutritious, and deeply satisfying.
The everyday fish stew is the practical fasting-day meal — simpler than Asa Wat (no dry-caramelisation required), faster, and using whatever fish is available. During Lent and the many other fasting periods, this dish appears on Ethiopian tables across the country.
Ingredients
Equipment: Wide pan
- 600g fish fillets — any firm fish
- 2 onions — diced
- 3 tomatoes — diced
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp berbere
- ½ cup water
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Method
- Cook onions in oil until golden — 8 minutes.
- Add garlic, ginger, and berbere. Stir 1 minute.
- Add tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes until thick.
- Add water. Bring to a simmer.
- Add fish. Add lemon juice.
- Spoon sauce over fish. Cover. Cook 10—12 minutes.
- Season. Serve.
Chef Tips
- The tomato base must be cooked down before adding fish.
- Add lemon with the fish — it brightens and firms the flesh.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Thin tomato base — diluted by fish water.
The Science
See ETH081 for fish stew science.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- High lean protein.
- Omega-3.
- Low fat.
- Fasting-day complete protein.
Cultural Note
Everyday fish stew is the food that sustains Ethiopia's Orthodox Christian majority through 200+ fasting days — the practical, affordable protein that keeps the fast while nourishing the body.
Storage & Serving
Storage: Best fresh. Refrigerate 1 day maximum.
Reheating: Very gently.
Serve with: Injera (ETH001), As the primary fasting-day protein