Brazilian Fish Stew - Moqueca

About Moqueca, is one of the most popular stews in Brazil, and it can be done with any firm flesh fish, seafood or a combination of both, this particular version “Moqueca” Baiana, has influences from African cuisine 😅. Traditional Moqueca uses Palm oil which has a beautiful red hue and imparts a distinct flavour, but since I’m in Australia is hard for me to find this ingredient, I substituted by adding coconut oil and annatto seeds (which may be hard to find as well but I happen to use them quite often in my cooking), but you can leave out the annatto seeds, the red capsicum and tomatoes will still tint the stew with a slight red colour. I used blue grenadier but any firm white flesh fish will do for this recipe. I hope you like my version of Moqueca. Instead of a Dutch Oven you can use a large heavy bottom pan. Try making this recipe with prawns or a mixture of seafood as well.

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Step 1

-In a bowl add the fish, season with flaky salt and juice of 1 lime and let marinate at least 15 min.

Step 2

-In a large dutch oven, add coconut oil, turn heat to medium, once it melts, add the anatto seeds and let them release some colour, about 2 min and then discard the seeds. (optional step: it substitutes the use of red palm oil from the traditional recipe, which imparts an earthy - nutty flavour and a beautiful red colour).

Step 3

-Add garlic, onions and sauté for a couple of min, followed by red and green capsicum and red long chili, sauté for 3-5 min to soften slightly.

Step 4

-Add cherry tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook for another 3 min until tomatoes colapse.

Step 5

-Add coconut milk, coriander stalks and cook for 10-15 min stirring occasionally, adjust seasoning.

Step 6

-Add the fish pieces and lower the heat, sprinkle the coriander leaves and cover, let poach for 4-5 min until the fish is just cooked

Step 7

-The residual heat from the dutch oven will cook the fish through, it’s ready when it flakes easily.

Step 8

-Garnish with coriander, red long chilies and lime juice

Step 9

-Serve along steamed rice, crispy fish skin, avocado slices 😜