Moqueca (Authentic Brazilian Seafood Stew Recipe)
Moqueca is a bright orange and mildly spicy Brazilian seafood stew recipe made with fish, shrimp, and veggies cooked in a creamy sauce. One of the best dishes you’ll ever taste!
Servings 4
Calories528 kcal
Cost $ 2.50 per person
Equipment
- pot
- blender
Ingredients
- 1 pound tilapia fillets thawed and pat dry
- 1 pound extra large shrimp deveined, shell and tail-off
- 3 teaspoon salt
- ground black pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 white or yellow onion large and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper medium, de-seeded and sliced (reserve a couple of slices)
- 1 green bell pepper medium, de-seeded and sliced (reserve a couple of slices)
- 1 yellow bell pepper medium, de-seeded and sliced (reserve a couple of slices)
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 large tomatoes sliced (reserve a couple of slices)
- 1 cup coconut cream (or a thick coconut milk)
- ¼ cup vegetable or fish broth
- 1 tablespoon red palm oil
- 1 teaspoon malagueta pepper (or Thai clili peper or a few drops of hot sauce)
- 1 ½ lime juiced
- 2 tablespoon cilantro or parsley chopped
Instructions
- To make this moqueca recipe, season both the fish fillets and the shrimp with 2 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste, and cumin.
- Heat a large pot, cast iron skillet, or a no-stick pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil and cook the chopped onion and bell peppers for about 3 minutes. Then, cook the garlic and chopped tomatoes for about 2 minutes.
- Transfer cooked veggies to a blender and add coconut milk, fish stock or broth, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Blend until smooth. Set aside!
- Using the same pan, add 1 more tablespoon of oil if needed, and cook fish fillets for about 2-3 minutes.
- Flip fish. Pour blended mixture over the fish fillets and stir in palm oil and the chili red peppers. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and let cook for about 2 minutes. Toss shrimp and the reserved slices of bell peppers and tomatoes and let cook over medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the lime juice and then the fresh cilantro. Serve warm with white rice and farofa. Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- SUBSTITUTIONS: Both red palm oil and malagueta pepper are available at Latin supermarkets and also online (e.g. Amazon.com). But, they can be easily replaced. Instead of palm oil, use a mixture of olive oil with annatto or achiote (in the Latin or spice aisle of most supermarkets), or turmeric. It will not taste the same but it will give a bright orange color to the dish. Replace malagueta pepper with Thai chili or a few drops of hot sauce. Give preference to white flesh fish such as tilapia, cod, bass, grouper, haddock, catfish, or snapper -- which are affordable, mildly flavored, and cook quickly.
- STORAGE: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up 2-3 days. Although freezing is possible, I would avoid it because seafood may develop some off flavors, and coconut gravy might become thin and brake apart.
- If cooking it in the Instant Pot, make sure to add the shrimp at the end and use the sauté function instead of cooking it under pressure.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Please, give it a star rating below!!
Nutrition
Calories: 528kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 342mg | Sodium: 2754mg | Potassium: 1040mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1689IU | Vitamin C: 145mg | Calcium: 221mg | Iron: 5mg
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