Fresh vs Smoked vs Dried Catfish

Fresh catfish shines in grilled dishes, pepper soup and light soup where its clean, mild flavour leads. Smoked catfish brings deep, savoury smoke to stews, jollof and light soup, and keeps far longer. Dried catfish concentrates the flavour even further — perfect for rich, slow-cooked soups.

A good rule: fresh for the star of the plate, smoked and dried for depth in the pot.