Zambian bream stew

Name: Zambian bream stew
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 4 tilapia, fillets or small whole fish, cut into pieces; 1¼ tsp salt; 3 tbsp neutral vegetable oil; 1 onion, sliced; 4 tomatoes, chopped; 1 green bell pepper, sliced (optional); 150 ml water; 300 g cornmeal (optional)

Non-vegetarian

Lake bream (tilapia) lightly fried, then simmered in a tomato and onion sauce. A fresh-fish alternative to dried kapenta, eaten with nshima.

Zambian bream stew is a Zambian stew, ready in about 35 minutes and made with tilapia and tomato. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep: 10 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 35 min
Serves: 4
Level: Easy
Calories: 238

Ingredients

4 servings

4 (480 g) Tilapia (opens in a new tab), fillets or small whole fish, cut into piecesSwap: White fish fillet; CatfishContains fish
1¼ tsp (7.5 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
3 tbsp (41 g) Neutral vegetable oil (opens in a new tab)
1 (110 g) Onion (opens in a new tab), sliced
4 (480 g) Tomatoes (opens in a new tab), chopped
1 (120 g) Green bell pepper (opens in a new tab), sliced (optional)
150 ml Water (opens in a new tab)
300 g Cornmeal (opens in a new tab) (optional)For making nshima to serve, with about 1 l water (see ifisashi with nshima).

Equipment

Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)

Method

1
Step 1
Season the fish with 1 tsp salt. Fry in the oil in a wide pan until golden on both sides, then lift out.
- 8 min
- medium-high heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Keep fish chilled until cooking.
2
Step 2
Fry the onion (opens in a new tab) and pepper in the same pan until soft, then add the tomatoes (opens in a new tab), remaining salt and water and simmer into a thick sauce.
- 10 min
- medium heat
How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels
3
Step 3
Return the fish, spoon the sauce over and simmer gently until cooked through. Serve with nshima.
- 6 min
- low heat
Food safety: Fish is done when it flakes easily and is opaque throughout.
How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Zambia · Commonly attributedBream from Lake Kariba, Lake Bangweulu and the Zambezi is a staple; this is a typical home preparation rather than a codified recipe.More food from Zambia
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Stews & braises · Main courses
Cooking method: Pan-fried, Simmered
Taste: savoury, tangy, fresh
Diet: Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labels
Pescatarian · Non-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: One-pan · Everyday
Cook more with: Tilapia · Tomato · Onion
Techniques: Pan-frying · Simmering

Allergens

Contains: Fishfrom tilapia

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

238 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 317 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 42%
Carbohydrate 12%
Fat 46%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	238 kcal	75 kcal
Protein	25.5 g	8 g
Carbohydrate	7.2 g	2.3 g
Net carbohydrate	5.3 g	1.7 g
Sugars	4.3 g	1.4 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	1.9 g	0.6 g
Fat	12.5 g	3.9 g
Saturated fat	1.5 g	0.5 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	60 mg	19 mg
Sodium	799 mg	252 mg
Salt equivalent	2 g	0.6 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 687 mg
Calcium: 35 mg
Iron: 1.1 mg
Magnesium: 49 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 50 µg
Vitamin C: 18 mg
Vitamin D: 3.7 µg
Vitamin B12: 1.9 µg
Folate (DFE): 52 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: green bell pepper, cornmeal.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Shake the pan rather than stirring once the fish is back in, so the pieces stay whole.

Common mistakes

Frying the fish until it is fully cooked — it finishes in the sauce, so brown it only.

Serve with

Nshima and ifisashi or a cabbage relish.

Storage

Keeps 1 day in the fridge.

Reheating

Reheat gently, covered.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 27 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Tilapia, fillets or small whole fish, cut into pieces4 piece · 480 g
Tomato, chopped4 piece · 480 g
Cornmeal (optional)300 g

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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