Last week I started to cook some recipes as research for my book. A recipe that has come up multiple times is the Brazilian fish stew Moqueca. It has deep roots in Bahia, Brazil where many say the heart of Brazilian cooking is. It’s also the home of the largest Afro-Brazilian population (side note: Brazil has the second largest population of Black people in a country behind Nigeria!).
This stew is the bomb.com. It has endless variations and is pretty hard to F-up. Usually, the stew is cooked with palm oil also known as dendê oil, which is a controversial ingredient because of how palm oil is sourced, but you can definitely find ethically sourced palm oil if you search for it (side note: omitting the palm oil isn’t going to break your dish). This rough iteration of Moqueca is easy for anyone to follow.
Moqueca
4 Servings
1 lb. of cod or any firm white fish (halibut or swordfish would work too), cut in large chunks
1 lb. of cleaned shrimp
2 limes
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
½ Red Pepper, chopped
½ Yellow Pepper, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large bunch of cilantro, chopped + divided
1 ½ cups of tomato or 1 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 ½ tablespoon of paprika
A couple pinches of red pepper flakes
1 14 oz. can of coconut milk
Olive oil
Salt + Pepper
Rinse your fish + shrimp clean. In a medium bowl toss garlic + lime juice on your fish + shrimp. Add a couple of pinches of salt + pepper then set bowl aside in the fridge. In a large pot heat 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Cook your onions and peppers in the oil for about 5-6 minutes until nicely softened. Add paprika, red pepper flakes, and salt generously. Stir in tomatoes + half the cilantro. Cook for 2-3 minutes. With a large spoon take out half of the vegetables (they’ll be going right back in!) and gently place the fish + shrimp on the veggies. Put back the other half of veggies you just took out and spread on top of fish with the leftover cilantro. Add another couple of pinches of salt. Pour coconut milk over the veggies + fish and cover. Lower heat and simmer for about 15-17 minutes.
Feel free to adjust the seasonings with more salt, paprika, lime juice, or chili flakes. Serve alone or with rice. Enjoy!