Moqueca de Peixe Recipe
Brazilian moqueca de peixe or fish stew with coconut milk: firm white fish, prawns, and bell peppers. All served over fragrant rice.
Servings: 4 -6 servings
Calories: 519kcal
Ingredients
Stew:
- 1 medium onion
- 1 medium red bell pepper
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil Note 1
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 chili more or less depending on how hot it is
- 1 lb cod fillets 450 g, Note 2
- 2 cups fish stock 500 ml, Note 3
- 1 can coconut milk 400 g/ 14.1 oz
- 9 oz tiger prawns 250 g, peeled and deveined
- fine sea salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice, more to taste, Note 4
- a few sprigs fresh coriander
Brazilian rice:
- 1 small onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1½ cups long grain white rice 350, Note 5
- 3 cups hot water or hot vegetable broth, 700 ml
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt only ½ teaspoon if using vegetable broth
- black ground pepper
Instructions
Moqueca de peixe:
- Prepare vegetables: Chop the onion finely. Cut the peppers into small cubes or small stripes. Heat the coconut oil in a wider pot. Saute the onion and the bell peppers for about 8 to 10 minutes or until soft. Add the finely minced garlic cloves, sweet paprika powder, cayenne pepper, and finely chopped chili. Stir for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Simmer fish stew: While the vegetables are cooking cut the cod into larger chunks, if necessary. If you bought already filleted cod, just cut it into larger pieces, about 4-5cm/ 1 ½ -2 inches. Season the pieces with salt and pepper. Arrange the fish on top of the vegetables. Add the fish stock and the coconut milk. Cover, bring to a simmer and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Cooking time: I always undercook the fish slightly. It will still have a couple of minutes cooking time together with the prawns that are added at the end of the cooking time and they will continue cooking while you bring the pot to the dish.
- Add the peeled and deveined prawns and continue simmering for 2 or 3 minutes until the prawns turn white.
- Adjust the taste with salt, pepper, and a little lime or lemon juice. Start with a tablespoon, stir, and add more to taste. While the stew cooks, prepare the rice.
Brazilian rice:
- Saute: Chop the onion and the garlic cloves very finely. Heat the oil in a small pot and saute the onion and the garlic until soft. Add the rice and stir to coat. Continue stirring the rice in the pot for about 3 or 4 minutes.
- Simmer Brazilian rice: Add the water or vegetable stock and some salt. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer, well covered, for about 18-20 minutes or until tender. Regard the packet's instructions concerning the cooking time of the rice. Depending on the sort and brand of rice you are using, cooking times might differ slightly.
- Serve moqueca de peixe: Fluff the rice with a fork. Place some rice into a deeper plate, add the fish stew on top, and sprinkle with chopped coriander. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Cooking fat: You can use red palm oil (traditionally used) or olive oil instead.
- Fish choice: I have often made the stew with salmon fillets instead of cod. Or salmon/cod combined with pollack fillets. Pollack is not a firm sort of fish. Only add it to the stew during the last 3 or 4 minutes of the cooking time.
- Stock: You can use homemade fish stock or a good brand of fish stock. If you cannot find fish stock, use a light vegetable broth.
- Lime is perfect, but if I don't have it, I use lemon juice.
- Basmati rice, for instance.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/6 of the stew with rice | Calories: 519kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 151mg | Sodium: 1482mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g