Brazilian Fish Stew (Moqueca De Peixe)

Submitted by dicentra

"This is from Cooking Light. "From the state of Bahia in northern Brazil, moqueca de peixe (moo-KAY-ka duh PAY-shuh) is a tropical fish stew fragrant with garlic and peppers, and enriched with coconut milk.""

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 19
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 1⁄3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (1 1/2 lb) sea bass or (1 1/2 lb) halibut fillets, cut into 1/2-inch wide strips
• 1 1⁄2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups finely chopped onions
• 1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 3⁄4 cup minced green onion (about 1 bunch)
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes (about 2 large)
• 1⁄2 cup minced fresh cilantro, divided
• 2 (8 ounce) bottles clam juice
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground red pepper

directions

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; toss to coat. Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.
3. Add the onion, bell peppers, green onions, garlic, and bay leaf; cook 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Increase heat to medium-high; add tomato, and cook 2 minutes.
5. Add 1/4 cup cilantro, clam juice, and broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
6. Discard bay leaf.
7. Place one-third of vegetable mixture in a blender, and puree until smooth.
8. Pour pureed vegetable mixture into pan. Repeat procedure with remaining vegetable mixture.
9. Add coconut milk and red pepper to pureed vegetable mixture.
10. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook 3 minutes. Add fish mixture; cook 3 minutes or until fish is done.
11. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cilantro.

Reviews

[HM H.]

Delicious and simple! I used very approximate quantities but it turned out really yummy!

 

[dannystratten]

Excellent dish. Easy to make. always a hit. The choice of fish has proved to be flexible. We've made this with a variety of white fish, scallops, prawns, tofu. All worked great!

 

[masscjs]

This is an awesome stew. I made it a long time ago and never remembered to review it. It takes a little bit of effort but the end product is just wonderful. I would give it 10 stars if I could. I will make it often. Thanks for posting, dicentra.

 

[EURrosa1]

I highly suggest you get "Azeite de Dende"--an oil made from the dende plant. It's strong taste will make an ENORMOUS difference in the final dish. You can find it on line, in Brazilian stores, and it keeps forever in the refrigerator. Just beware: too much of it causes what the Baianos (people born in the state of Bahia) call "piriri," and Americans call Montezuma's Revenge... :-) It sounds more like "mokehkah dji peyshee," the "o" souding the word "on" and the the "e" like "every" in English.

 

[Wienerman]

This was great! My wife and I loved the flavors in this dish. I used Tilapia for the fish since it is cheaper and easier to find than the fish listed and used a large can of chopped tomatoes. We like our soups with texture, so I coarsely chopped the vegetables and didn't puree them in the blender. Very pretty. Thanks For the great recipe!!