Moqueca (Brazilian Fish Stew)
- Total Time
- 2½ hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 5tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1medium onion, sliced thin
- 1½cups manioc or cassava meal, available online and in some specialty food shops
- 1¾pounds black sea bass, filleted, trimmings reserved
- 12ounces large shrimp, peeled, shells reserved
- Salt
- 2bay leaves
- 1small white turnip, peeled and diced
- 3medium onions
- 4large plum tomatoes
- 6ounces shishito peppers, chopped
- 2cloves garlic
- ⅓cup chopped cilantro
- ¼cup chopped chives
- 1green plantain
- ½red bell pepper, cut in rings
- 2green Cubanelle peppers, green frying peppers or 1 small green bell pepper, cut in rings
- 10ounces unsweetened coconut milk
- 4tablespoons dendê oil, or red palm oil, available online
- 6ounces cooked octopus tentacles, cut in thick slices, or raw squid in thin rings
- 1long red chile pepper, for garnish
- ½cup long grain rice, steamed
- Piri-piri or other hot sauce, for serving
For the Farofa (optional)
For the Stew
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
725 calories; 33 grams fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 67 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 45 grams protein; 1343 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Make the farofa if desired: Melt butter in a skillet or shallow saucepan on medium heat. Add sliced onion, and cook, stirring, until it turns light brown. Stir in manioc and cook, stirring, 5 to 8 minutes, until it starts to toast. Cover and keep warm.
- Step 2
Make the fish broth: Cut each bass fillet in 4 or 5 pieces, cover and refrigerate. Place trimmings in a 3-quart stovetop casserole, preferably an earthenware pot. Lightly salt shrimp, cover and refrigerate. Place shells in the pot. Add 5 cups water; the bay leaves; the turnip; 2 onions, chopped; 2 tomatoes, chopped; half the shishito peppers; the garlic; and half the cilantro and chives. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 45 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
- Step 3
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Cut a slit in the skin of the plantain, wrap in foil and bake 20 minutes, until flesh is tender. Cool.
- Step 4
Strain broth into a bowl, pressing on the solids. Discard solids and return broth to pot. Cook over medium heat until reduced to 1½ cups.
- Step 5
Slice remaining tomatoes and remaining onion ¼ inch thick and add to pot. Add bell peppers, Cubanelle peppers, remaining shishito peppers, remaining chives and all but 1 tablespoon remaining cilantro. Bring to a simmer and cook about 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
- Step 6
Peel plantain and slice it ½ inch thick. Add to pot. Add coconut milk and dende oil. Add fish and octopus, if using, and simmer 5 minutes. Rinse and dry shrimp and squid, if using, and add to pot. Simmer 3 minutes. Check seasonings. Strew remaining cilantro on top, garnish with a red chile and serve over rice directly from the pot, with farofa and piri-piri on the side.
Private Notes
Comments
You are describing the variety of this dish known as moqueca baiana. The state where I live, Espírito Santo makes their own version of this dish, but with olive oil instead of palm oil. I like it much better as the taste is lighter and fresher. They also do not make farofa with it, but make a creamy sort of gravy with manioc called pirão.
Also, it is usually cooked in an earthenware pot.
You can buy Certified Fair Trade red palm oil from sources that don't destroy rainforest to produce it. I believe Whole Foods and a few other places carry them. It does have some nutritional benefits as a fat and it has a unique flavor. Red palm oil is cold pressed and is not the industrially refined stuff used in mass-market confectionery.
I don't like that they changed the recipe but are still calling it Brazilian fish stew. This recipe is not authentic it's way off. I'm honestly a little offended by it. Dendê oil give the dish aroma and helps with the color but it should be used very lightly because it's a heavy oil too much can even give you a stomach ache. Dendê can be substituted for regular olive oil it's not a problem and it won't make a big difference but it you do this then add paprika.
I make a very easy, simple verison of this that is delish! I marinate cod (or other white fish) in lime juice, lots of fresh garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, and cilantro while the rest of the ingredients are prepared. Saute thinly sliced green/red/orange peppers with thinly sliced onions in olive oil with salt/pepper/paprika. Layer the sauted veggies with marinated fish (and optionally chopped tomatoes) in a large pot. Pour coconut milk (unsweetened) over everything and simmer for 15 minutes. YUM
We made a large batch of this the first time, and we are making a lot larger batch this time. Shrimp, grouper, squid, and for fun, cooked mussels. Rather tan strain anything, we used an immersion blender to mix the initial peppers, cilantro, onion, turnip and garlic into a relatively smooth mixture before adding the seafood, sliced tomato, coconut milk, diced onion, and bell peppers. We served it over rice and refrigerated the leftovers. It is wonderful.
I bought yuca at a Cuban market for the farofa, used Shishito peppers & cilantro from my garden, used tinned octopus from Spain & red palm oil I had in my pantry Otherwise, I made the recipe exactly as directed. Thank you Florence for an incredible recipe! I will definitely make again, it is definitely worth the work.