I recently realised how easy it is to make shito using an African kitchen’s staple ingredient and I just had to share this with you. Shito (Ghana hot pepper sauce) is very popular in Ghanaian cuisine, that is eaten as a sauce or condiment. In the UK, it is usually sold pre-packed in jars at African shops, but it is so easy to make at home.
Shito is a delicious hot pepper sauce prepared with dried fish and prawns along with onions, chilli, garlic, and some spices. This dark coloured Ghanaian sauce has a rich umami taste which just makes everything taste better.
Ghana shito is a very versatile. In the local Ghanaian cuisine, it is used in ways similar to a chilli sauce or ketchup. It can be used as a side, dip or even dressing. It is traditionally eaten with kenkey, waakye, banku and many other Ghanaian dishes. However, it tastes amazing spread on bread, in a stir-fry or salad, stirred into pasta; on barbecue meat, fish or vegetables; anything really.
This Ghanaian sauce is rich and aromatic, with intense flavours; so, a little of it goes a long way to enhance food. It is a good way to eat flavoursome food on the cheap. I was thinking back to my student days and how shito sauce would have been useful for when I was broke! If only I knew about it then.
How Long Will Ghana Shito Last
Water is not added to shito sauce blend; and the sauce is simmered in oil which allows the moisture to dissipate as the sauce thickens. This makes the water activity so low that the product could be kept at ambient temperature for some time and will last weeks in the fridge.
If you are keeping at ambient temperature, it is important for the sauce to have a layer of oil totally covering it. This is a traditional method of food preservation in Africa which was used before electricity and refrigeration.
How To Make Shito
Ghana Shito is traditionally very hot; hence why it is called Ghana hot sauce. However, you can make it to your preferred heat level by varying the chilli quantity. Mine is medium hot so everyone in my family can eat it, but you can add more or less chilli depending on preference.
I made this recipe with things I already had in my freezer and pantry, and didn't have to do any shopping. This is the reason why I used green scotch bonnet. You can substitute red scotch bonnet or any other hot pepper for this recipe.
It is important to stir the sauce often while cooking to prevent burning. In fact, a non-stick pot (if you have one) is better for this type of thick sauce.
If you do not normally use dried fish and ground shrimp in their cooking, you can find some to buy in Asian and African shops.
Try these Ghanaian dishes next, Kelewele and Gari fotor.
Other versatile sauces you should try are chimichurri and chermoula.
Ghana Shito
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Vegetable oil
- 3 pieces Onions medium, peeled and sliced
- 4 cloves Garlic peeled and cut into smaller pieces
- 5 cm Ginger root (½ a thumb size)
- 2 Scotch bonnet stalk removed
- 2 tablespoons Tomato puree
- ½ cup Dried fish pieces
- 1 tablespoon Chili flakes/powder
- ½ cup Ground shrimp
- 1 teaspoon Ground cloves
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Cut the dried fish into smaller pieces, while removing the bones. Wash and soak in some water just before you start cooking. This will make it easy to blend later.
- Heat oil in a pan (use a non-stick pan if you have one) under medium heat.
- Add the onions into the oil. Stir until the onion slices are translucent, and just beginning to brown. This will take 10-15 mins.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool. In that time, drain the fish and pour into a blender. Prepare the scotch bonnet and garlic. Add into the blender with the tomato puree and ginger root.
- Add the onion and the oil into the blender and puree. Pour the blended mixture back into the pot and place on low heat.
- Add the dried shrimp, pepper flakes, cloves and a dash of salt.
- Allow to simmer gently, while stirring frequently to prevent burning. If it the sauce appears dry, you can add more oil.
- The colour will change gradually and by the time the sauce is done, it will be quite dark. This will take around 20 mins.
- Allow to cool and keep in a closed container. Refrigerate and use as needed.
A healthy, delicious and filling sauce that doubles as a condiment. Pairs very well with french fries and fried yams. Keep the recipes coming Abi!
Thank you very mich Ashifi.
Will try your recipe. My method is a little different but I guess it will all come down the same... Thanks for sharing.
You're right, it is the end result that matters. thanks for stopping by Linda.
Thanks a lot Dearie. I'm a man and it's been a while since I left home for somewhere everything has to be bought already prepared and this has made me forgot almost everything mom taught me. I'm glad your write came up first when I searched.
Thank you for the feedback. I'm glad you found this post useful.
Thanks for the recipe. What type of fish is traditionally used? Could I substitute with fish sauce or it just won't be right?
Thanks for stopping by Daniel. Traditionally, dried fish and shrimps are used for shito sauce. I don't think fish sauce will work as it is fermented and doesn't have the same flavour as dried fish. Depending on where you are, you can find dried fish in African or Asian shops. If you can't find dried fish, Afia at Canadian African used dried mushrooms and nori mix to make vegan shito sauce and you might want to try that here https://thecanadianafrican.com/ghanaian-hot-sauce-shito/.
I hope this helps.
Hey!
You can also use Corned Beef for the shito sauce.
You have to fry the Corned beef till it’s dry. It works too. My mom uses Corned Beef if there’s no dried shrimps and dried fish. Hope that helps!
Thanks Ashley.
You do not need to soak the fish. Break it into small pieces and use the blender mill to mill. The less water in the process the quicker its done.
I have substituted sardines and they are a fabulous substitute.
Nice one dear! with Love from SA
Thank you very much.
I’m a Belgian lady with a Ghanian man and i try my best to cook African food and this recipie was a good one to learn how to make shito in an easy way. I like your recipies!
Thank you Wendy.
Hello. I was wondering what exact dried fish and shrimp powder did you use? What the name of the brand? Where do you buy it from?
Hi. You can buy dried fish and ground shrimp from most Africans food stores. They are also available on Etsy. I live in the UK, here are links to two Etsy UK stores that stock the products. If you are not in UK, you can Etsy website.
Shrimp powder - https://tidd.ly/3DdKnyn
Deboned dried fish - https://tidd.ly/3HqYjaG
Lovely recipe and nice info at the beginning to really remind us what and where this sauce came from.
Thank you very much.
You do not need to soak the fish. Break it into small pieces and use the blender mill to mill. The less water in the process the quicker its done.
I'll try that next time. Thanks Suzy.
my exact thoughts as i read. the less water added to any of the ingredients the better the taste and shelf life of the finished product
Hi, Thank you so much for this recipe. I missing it so much, I am so happy to found this and I cooking twice and it taste so delicious and good. Don’t have Africa store here that I could buy dried fish however I saw the review that mention Asian store. I would stop by to see if they have it or not.
Thanks for the comment. It's true. If you don't African shops around, then check Asian stores.
you can also add pieces of beef. first cut them into small pieces and marinade for a day in your fridge taking care to use as little water as possible. you can transfer them to a paper towel lined plate before frying to remove any remnant liquids. this helps to prevent your shito from going bad if you dont refrigerate. fry your meat in hot oil until its cooked. you have to stir constantly so it doesnt burn. remove from fire and add when your shito is ready. do not cook it again in the shito. it will absorb the flavours of the shito.
Fried meat is sure a great addition to shito. Thanks Abena
Just made mine today. One word, Amazing!
Thanks Stephanie. I'm glad you like it.
What is a "cup"? A cup can be small, large, medium! I always find it difficult to understand recipes mentioning cups! It would help for measurements in grams or imperial measurements for an accurate working out of the ingredients list!
Thanks for your observation. I prefer to use cup where appropriate due to the fact that not everyone has a weighing scale to measure ingredients. Using "cup" as a form of measurement is widely accepted and more accessible to people who do not have measuring scales. In most parts of the world, a "cup" is 250 ml, while in the US, it is 240 ml - the difference between the two is not huge and should not affect the recipe.