Why stockfish costs what it costs

Stockfish — okporoko in Igbo — is dried cod, traditionally hung on wooden racks in cold Norwegian air for three months. The drying concentrates the flavour into something almost meaty.

Norway sells the bulk of its export-grade stockfish to West Africa, and the supply chain has more stops than people realise: trawler, drying rack, sorting, shipping, customs, wholesaler, importer, retailer.

Each stop takes a cut. By the time a clean, head-on medium stockfish reaches a London shelf, it has crossed three borders.

What you pay for is the time — months of slow drying — and the cold-chain logistics that keep the fish dry on a wet sea voyage.

Cook it patiently. Soak overnight, simmer until soft, and pull the flesh away from the bone in big flakes. It transforms egusi, ogbono and pepper soup in ways nothing else can.