How to Make Brazilian Shrimp and Fish Stew (Moqueca)

Moqueca is a Brazilian fish stew made with various kinds of seafood, coconut milk, tomatoes, onions, garlic, fresh cilantro and palm oil (sometimes referred to as dendê oil). While I didn’t use palm oil, we loved coconut-lime and spicy flavor of this dinner– served with rice. It’s not difficult to make and looks impressive enough to serve to dinner guests.

This is my first post for the New Year 2020! Fish stew, to some, might not sound all that enticing. I’m confident that this recipe will change their mind, because it so delicious!

While reorganizing my freezer, I found bins where I could sort out my frozen meats and seafood by category. I found a bag of unopened large shrimp and some cod fillets. I had bookmarked a recipe for Brazilian Shrimp and Fish Stew aaaaand– bingo! Spoiler alert: Not only was this recipe so full of flavor, with just the right balance of spice– it was actually not difficult to make.

Let me show you how:

The shrimp was already deveined, so I simply removed the shells (including the tail). Toss shrimp and cod with garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in bowl. Set aside.

Process onion, canned whole tomatoes and their juice, and ¼ cup cilantro in food processor until finely chopped and mixture has texture of pureed salsa, about 30 seconds.

Most recipes, for this stew, I researched used green bell peppers. For some reason, those give my digestive system a little “attitude”– as in it tends to say “hello” after I eat them. Red, yellow or orange bell peppers don’t have that effect so that’s what I used– and it worked!

So, other than chopping some onion and cilantro, the last of the prep work are the bell peppers. Well, except for one more vital component to this recipe– and this one you don’t want to skip. Trust me, I almost did.

You’ll need hot cherry peppers. Pickled hot cherry peppers are usually sold jarred, next to the pickles or jarred roasted red peppers at the supermarket. Score! I found them. I tasted one, and I really hesitated. Um, yeah, my sensitive to “heat” was on full alert. Whoa, they packed a bite! My husband likes spice, so I forged on. SPOILER ALERT: The heat tamed down a lot, and I found this condiment really made the whole dish work.

Using a food processor, chop the hot cherry peppers, some onion, olive oil, a pinch of sugar and salt and pepper. Done and done.

Heat some avocado oil and cook the bell peppers until softened. Then, add the tomato-onion sauce and cooked until slightly thickened.

Coconut milk and lime juice is added, and brought to boiling and bubbly. Once that happens, the shrimp and cod is added and gently submerged into the cooking liquid. Turn off the heat, cover with a lid, and allow the fish and shrimp to cook for about 15 minutes. (There’s nothing worse that overcooked shrimp because it turns rubbery.) By letting it cook, off heat, the shrimp was perfectly cooked.

Right before serving, I added two tablespoons of the pepper sauce and some chopped cilantro (we love that herb).

I served this with rice and the remaining pepper sauce on the side.

TASTING NOTES: Coconut milk, cilantro and lime are one of my Holy Trinities of cooking! My husband isn’t crazy about shrimp (or so he says). We both ate a spoonful and there was silence. Wow! We both loved it. This dish is loaded with flavor! The heat of the hot cherry peppers was spot on. There was a hint of coconut milk and lime. The shrimp was tender and the cod was mild. Does this reheat? Yes! I was concerned that reheating leftovers would turn the fish rubbery– but it did not. I would definitely serve this dish to company– especially Pescaterians. Without the rice, it’s even gluten-free!

Print Recipe

4 from 4 votes

Brazilian Shrimp and Fish Stew (Moqueca)

Fish stew, to some, doesn't sound all that enticing. This recipe changed my husband's mind, because it so delicious. Moqueca is a Brazilian fish stew made with various kinds of seafood, coconut milk, tomatoes, onions, garlic, fresh cilantro and palm oil (sometimes referred to as dendê oil). While I didn't use palm oil, we loved this dinner served with rice. It's not difficult to make and looks impressive enough to serve to dinner guests. Don't skip making the pepper sauce, because it makes the flavor of the stew really pop!

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: main

Cuisine: Brazilian

Keyword: Brazilian Fish Stew

Servings: 4

Author: Debby – www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Ingredients

For the pepper sauce:

• 4 pickled hot cherry peppers 3 ounces
• ½ onion chopped coarse
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ⅛ teaspoon sugar
• Salt

For the stew:

• 1 pound large shrimp 26 to 30 per pound, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
• 1 pound skinless cod fillets ¾ to 1 inch thick, cut into 1½-inch pieces
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• Salt and pepper
• 1 onion chopped coarse
• 1 14.5-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• ¾ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1 green bell pepper (I used a yellow bell pepper) stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1 14-ounce can coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons lime juice

Instructions

For the pepper sauce:

• Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Season with salt to taste and transfer to separate bowl. Rinse out processor bowl.

FOR THE STEW:

• Toss shrimp and cod with garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in bowl. Set aside.

Make the onion/tomato mixture:

• Process onion, tomatoes and their juice, and ¼ cup cilantro in food processor until finely chopped and mixture has texture of pureed salsa, about 30 seconds.

Make the stew:

• Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering.

  Add red and green (I used yellow bell peppers) bell peppers and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

  Add onion-tomato mixture and ½ teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until puree has reduced and thickened slightly, 3 to 5 minutes (pot should not be dry).
• Increase heat to high, stir in coconut milk, and bring to boil (mixture should be bubbling across entire surface).
• Add seafood mixture and lime juice and stir to evenly distribute seafood, making sure all pieces are submerged in liquid. Cover pot and remove from heat. Let stand until shrimp and cod are opaque and just cooked through, 15 minutes.
• Gently stir in 2 tablespoons pepper sauce and remaining ½ cup cilantro, being careful not to break up cod too much.

  Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, over rice, passing remaining pepper sauce separately.

Notes

Pickled hot cherry peppers are usually sold jarred, next to the pickles or jarred roasted red peppers at the supermarket. Haddock or other firm-fleshed, flaky whitefish may be substituted for cod. We prefer untreated shrimp, but if your shrimp are treated with sodium, do not add salt to the shrimp in step 2. Our favorite coconut milk is made by Aroy-D. Serve with steamed white rice.

Recipe source: Cook’s Illustrated March / April 2018 issue

Tried this recipe?Mention @afeastfortheeyes or tag #afeastfortheeyesblog!

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