Moqueca de Peixe (Brazilian Fish Stew with Coconut Milk)

About This Recipe

Moqueca comes from Bahia in northeastern Brazil, a region with strong Afro-Brazilian culinary influence, where dende (palm oil) and coconut milk combine to give the stew its distinctive orange color and rich, slightly nutty flavor. Firm white fish is marinated briefly in lime juice and garlic before being layered with sliced peppers, onion and tomato in a wide, shallow clay pot traditionally used for the dish, then simmered gently in coconut milk until the fish is just cooked through. A drizzle of dende oil stirred in at the very end gives the stew its characteristic color and a distinct flavor found in few other cuisines, traditionally served with white rice and a side of farofa to soak up the vibrant sauce.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 800 gfirm white fish fillets(such as snapper or halibut)
• 3 tbsplime juice
• 4 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1 tspsalt
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 1onion(sliced)
• 1red bell pepper(sliced)
• 1green bell pepper(sliced)
• 3tomatoes(sliced)
• 400 mlcoconut milk
• 2 tbspdende (palm) oil
• 1/4 cupchopped cilantro

Instructions

1. 1

   Marinate the fish

   Toss fish fillets with lime juice, half the garlic and salt; let marinate 20 minutes.

2. 2

   Build the base

   Heat olive oil in a wide, shallow pan and cook onion, peppers and remaining garlic until just softened, about 8 minutes.

3. 3

   Layer

   Layer half the vegetable mixture in the pan, top with the marinated fish, then layer the tomatoes and remaining vegetables over the fish.

4. 4

   Add coconut milk

   Pour the coconut milk over everything and bring to a gentle simmer.

5. 5

   Simmer

   Cover and simmer gently 15-18 minutes until the fish is just cooked through and flakes easily.

   Simmer gently rather than boiling hard — a rolling boil can break the fish apart and make the coconut milk separate.

6. 6

   Finish

   Stir in the dende oil and half the cilantro just before serving.

7. 7

   Serve

   Serve hot over white rice, garnished with remaining cilantro.

Variations

• •

  Moqueca capixaba, from Espirito Santo, omits the coconut milk and dende oil for a lighter, tomato-forward version.

• •

  Shrimp can replace or be added alongside the fish for a mixed seafood moqueca.

• •

  A vegetarian version uses hearts of palm and extra vegetables instead of fish.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 2 days in an airtight container; reheat gently over low heat to avoid overcooking the fish further.

Frequently Asked Questions