May 22, 2012

Moqueca (Brazilian Fish Stew)

This hearty stew can be made with any firm-fleshed white fish, such as catfish or halibut. This recipe first appeared in our June/July 2012 issue along with Neide Rigo's story Passage to the Amazon.

Credit: James Oseland

SERVES 6�8

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ lb. boneless, skinless catfish filets, cut into 2″ pieces
8 oz. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
¼ cup fresh lime juice
8 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 ½ small yellow onions (1 minced, ½ thinly sliced)
1 Italian frying pepper, stemmed, seeded (half minced, half thinly sliced)
2 plum tomatoes, cored (1 minced, 1 thinly sliced)
1 cup fish or vegetable stock
1 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp. palm oil (available at My Natural Market)
¼ cup minced cilantro
½ cup minced Thai basil leaves
Cooked white rice, to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

Toss fish, shrimp, juice, half the garlic, and salt and pepper in a bowl; set aside. Heat olive oil in a 6-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add remaining garlic, minced onion, and minced pepper; cook until soft, about 6 minutes. Add minced tomatoes; cook until broken down, about 5 minutes. Add stock, coconut milk, and palm oil; boil. Drain fish and shrimp and add to pot; cook until just cooked through, about 7 minutes. Add sliced onion, pepper, and tomato; cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro and basil; season with salt and pepper. Serve with rice.

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #148

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Ratings & Reviews (8)

by rnelson on 2012-12-28

Sauce and shrimp were very good. I thought the catfish ended up a bit overcooked, and I wasn't a big fan of the texture of it, but the fish fans at the table said this was a very nice fish stew. (and white rice crucial, to soak up that sauce)

by STUKIN on 2013-02-18

Palm oil (dende oil, as the Brasilians call it) is very strong. I'd definitely cut the amount in half for the Americans taste (or leave it out completely.) Catfish is a little rubbery; I'd use halibut or striped bass or perhaps monkfish (lotte) instead. Lotte, sometimes called "lobsterfish"), has a firm texture that will hold together when cooked. If Thai basil is not available, substitute a few mint leaves instead or leave it out. Cilantro, however, is essential to the authenticity of the dish. Bahians adore cilantro and use it in everything. If using the dende oil, be sure to refrigerate whatever is left over; otherwise it goes rancid very quickly. Besides steamed white rice, this dish is always served with fried mandioca flour (farofa) as an accompaniment. (Manioc, sometimes called cassava, is a starchy tropical tuber found in any Brasilian food market. Ground and dried, it becomes manioc flour - what tapioca is made of.) There are lots of easy recipes online.

by LGEND@COMCAST.NET on 2013-02-18

I notice that your recipes don't show contents{%} such as fat, protein, carbs, cholesterol, sodium, fiber, etc. Knowing these facts would make my decision easier as to which recipes to use and which to adjust.

Overall, I think your recipes are great! Just a thought!

Thank you, Lu

by ELLENL on 2013-02-18

SO? When are you going to fix the problem that I have repeatedly emailed about?

by bdemcoe on 2013-02-18

Sorry - but what is an Italian frying pepper??

by hikerpat on 2013-02-19

@bdemcoe: Although the name does not indicate, I know Italian frying pepper as Cubanelle. They are elongated - not rounded like bell peppers. For me, it is necessary to get them at a specialty store. I've always added them to the blender, along with other ingredients, for meat loaf. I believe them to be far superior to bell peppers.

by KITCHENBETH on 2013-02-27

I loved this recipe! I used tilapia for the white fish, left out the palm oil and used millet instead of rice. We also topped the finished product with preserved Meyer Lemons. Fantastic!!

by BROCCOLI on 2013-04-23

This is one of my favorite recipes. I have made it for company and everyone raves. Its my secret how easy it is.

I dont use palm oil - I use a few teaspoons of bacon fat. I know its not authentic but it works great. I also use chicken stock to give it better depth of flavor - and lots of lime juice at the end.

A winner!

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