Moqueca Bahian Fish Stew Recipes

MOQUECA BAIANA (BRAZILIAN FISH STEW)

Steps:

• Place fish and shrimp in a large bowl. Season with the lime juice, salt and pepper. Reserve in the fridge.
• In a large clay pot (or dutch oven), heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and chopped chili pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Arrange half of the tomato slices on the bottom of the pot. Then add a layer of half the bell peppers, half the sliced onions, half of the fish, half of the shrimp and 1/3 of the cilantro. Season gently with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Repeat the layering with all the ingredients, making sure to season again at the end. Reserve 1/3 of the cilantro for garnishing before serving.
• Pour the coconut milk, add the dendê oil and the crumbled bouillon, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then cover, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until the onions are tender and the fish and shrimp are cooked through. Be careful not to overcook it, as you don't want the fish to fall apart. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add more dendê oil, if desired.
• Garnish with the reserved cilantro and serve with white rice.

MOQUECA DE PEIXE BAIANA (BRAZILIAN FISH STEW)

Steps:

• Rinse sea bass under running cold water; pat dry. Place in a shallow dish and season with lime juice, garlic, and salt. Marinate for 30 minutes.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add grated onion and cook for a few seconds. Add fish and marinade to the skillet and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in palm oil and onion rings, followed by water and coconut milk. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add green bell pepper, red bell pepper, tomatoes, cilantro, and green onions; cover and cook until vegetables are soft and flavors are well combined, about 5 minutes.

BAHIA-STYLE MOQUECA PRAWN STEW

Steps:

• Place the prawns in a bowl with 2 tbsp of the lime juice, 1 tsp of salt and 1 tbsp of the chopped garlic. Chill for 1 hr.
• Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan. Add the spring onion and onion and fry for 5 mins, then add the red pepper, chilli flakes, paprika and remaining garlic.
• Pour in the tomatoes, coconut milk and a little salt. Bring to a simmer and let reduce for 10 mins. Add the prawns, all the marinade and remaining lime juice. Gently simmer until the prawns turn white, about 3 mins. Serve with the fresh coriander and rice.

BAHIAN-STYLE FISH STEW (MOQUECA DE PEIXE)

Steps:

• In workbowl of a food processor chop cilantro, tomato, green pepper and onion to a coarse paste. Heat paste in a large heavy skillet over low heat for 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add haddock and drained shrimp. Cover and simmer 5 to 7 minutes. Add lemon juice, coconut milk and dende and simmer 5 minutes more. Serve, passing Malagueta peppers;

MOQUECA (BAHIAN FISH STEW)

Steps:

• First make the fish stock. In a stockpot, combine the shrimp shells; fish heads and scraps; the quartered onion; 1 of the garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed; 4 of the scallions; the bay leaf, and parsley. Add the water, and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat, and just barely simmer for about 2 hours or until the stock is well flavored. Strain, discarding the solids, and reserve. You should have about 5 cups of stock. The stock can be made well ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen until ready to use.
• Place the shrimp, fish steaks and scallops on a deep platter, and sprinkle with lemon juice; lime juice; 1 clove of the garlic, finely chopped; salt, and pepper. Cover and set aside to marinate not less than 1 nor more than 2 hours. Turn the seafood at least once during this time. Rinse and debeard the mussels. Pick over the crab, discarding any bits of shell and cartilage. Reserve the mussels and crab until ready to use.
• In a large stockpot over medium heat, saute the chopped onion; the remaining 6 cloves of garlic, chopped; the remaining scallions, and the bell peppers in olive oil, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are thoroughly wilted, about 10 minutes. Add 2 cups of the strained fish stock, the tomatoes and coriander, and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer very gently for about 1 hour.
• When the sauce has finished cooking, puree in a food processor or pass through a food mill. For a more elegant presentation, strain the resulting puree through a sieve. Return the puree to the stove over very low heat. Stir in the coconut milk, and let cook gently for 2 or 3 minutes, then add the palm oil and stir it in. Taste, and add a little cayenne pepper. Add the marinated seafood along with any juices that may have accumulated. Add the mussels. Cover and simmer until the shellfish have opened and the fish steaks are thoroughly cooked, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the crab meat, stir in, and serve immediately.
• Pass the pepper sauce with the stew. A little spoonful (or more, depending on taste) should be drizzled over each serving.

BAHIAN BRASILIAN FISH STEW, DECORATED WITH BOILED EGGS (MOQUECA

Steps:

• Set eggs on to boil.
• Stir together the lime juice, cumin, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper in a non-reactive bowl. Add the Tilapia and GENTLY toss with your fingers to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes being careful not to let the fish "cook" in the lime juice.
• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onions and the diced chilies until onions are transparent and beginning to lightly brown. Wash hands thoroughly after handling the chilies.
• Reduce heat to medium. Stir in the tomato paste.
• Add the bell peppers and diced tomatoes to the pot in succeeding layers. Pour the coconut milk over the mixture. Stir well but gently.
• Cover the pot and simmer on lowest heat for 15- 30 minutes or until the peppers are at a consistency you like, stirring occasionally.
• Gently add the fish, marinade and 2/3 of the chopped and stemmed cilantro and continue cooking until the fish is thoroughly cooked. Allow 5-8 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillets.
• Ladle or gently pour the Moqueca into a large serving bowl, garnish with boiled egg wedges on top and finish with remaining chopped cilantro.
• Serve over white rice, with lime wedges. Side dishes: sauteed collards or spinach and garlic. For dessert, cold orange slices. Also a good accompaniment: Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo) ( it's gluten/wheat free)!
• Slow Cooker Variation:.
• Place ALL ingredients including the marinade in the slow cooker EXCEPT the FISH pieces and cilantro). Cook 6 to 8 hours (overnight) on low and then to WARM.
• 1 hour prior to serving, return cooker to LOW: ADD half the cilantro and the fish.
• Gently spoon sauce over fish pieces and allow fish to cook for 1 hour until the fish is cooked through. Garnish and serve as described above.

MOQUECA (BRAZILIAN FISH STEW)

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Strain broth into a bowl, pressing on the solids. Discard solids and return broth to pot. Cook over medium heat until reduced to 1 1/2 cups.
• Slice remaining tomatoes and remaining onion 1/4 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.
• Peel plantain and slice it 1/2 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.

MOQUECA (BRAZILIAN SEAFOOD STEW)

Steps:

• Use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut along the length of each prawn deep enough to expose and remove the vein. Place the fish chunks in a large bowl and season with 1 teaspoon salt. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lime and toss to coat. Set the prawns and fish aside while preparing the sauce.
• In a large, shallow Dutch oven or large, deep skillet, melt 2 tablespoons dendê oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until softened and fragrant, 1 minute. Add the onion, stir and cook, stirring until translucent, about 2 minutes.
• Increase the heat to high, add the peppers, tomatoes and chile. Season with salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the peppers are softened and any liquid from the tomatoes is beginning to evaporate, 4 minutes.
• Pour in the coconut milk, stir and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid thickens and reduces to a creamy sauce, about 10 minutes. Taste, adjust the salt, if necessary, and stir in 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro.
• Carefully place the prawns in the sauce in a single layer and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the prawns to cook the other sides and add the cod. (Discard any juices in the bowl.) The fish will be partly submerged. Cook until the fish is tender and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Remove from heat, drizzle in the remaining 1 tablespoon dendê oil and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro. Slice the remaining lime into wedges. Serve immediately, with steamed rice and lime wedges for squeezing.