Moqueca: Brazilian Fish Stew Recipe

[I made the recipe tonight. I'd rate it 10 out of 10! I stuck strictly to the recipe, and in the end, I did add salt, paprika, pepper flakes & freshly ground pepper. I used Cod for the fish and bought 1.5 lbs. of it. I have enough for another meal. I also made the rice just as the recipe shows. An excellent dish! I just happened to find this blog, and I'll be returning to it frequently. From the blog: [link at the end]

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/c...-moqueca-a.jpg

It seems like every culture with a coastline has their version of a seafood stew. The French have bouillabaise, the Portuguese bacalhoada, New England “chowdah” and San Francisco cioppino. In Brazil, they make moqueca (pronounced “mo-KEH-kah”), a stew made with fish, onions, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, and in the northern state of Bahia, coconut milk. My first encounter with moqueca was a salmon version of the stew prepared by Brazilian blogger Fernanda of Chucrute com Salsicha. So good! We love making fish stew, but had never thought to use a base of coconut milk. Since then, every Brazilian I’ve met, when the conversation turns to food (as it invariably does), their eyes light up at the mention of moqueca.



A few words about this recipe. First, it’s easy. As exotic as it may sound, you probably have most of the ingredients already in your pantry (you’ll want to get fresh fish), and with prep, making rice, the total time involved is less than an hour. Second, since this is an American blog, we’re dealing with ingredients we can get here. True Bahian moqueca is made with a fish caught off the coast of northern Brazil. In our case, we’ll want to use a firm white fish. I used cod for this batch, which is barely firm enough. Halibut would hold up better. You can also add shrimp or other shell fish to this stew. Palm oil is traditionally used in making moqueca, but it’s hard to come by here, so we are using olive oil. Finally, adjust the seasonings to taste! If it doesn’t seem flavorful enough to you, you need to add more salt. And probably a little more lime or lemon juice and paprika too.
To any Brazilians who might be reading this blog (Olé Brasil!) if you have a favorite moqueca recipe, please tell us about it the comments.


http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes...ian_fish_stew/

that does sound good, Dh isn't a huge fish eater, but does like halibut and cod at times.

fish stew never sounded appealing until a co-worker nurse from Thailand brought some in for a potluck, and it was cooked in coconut milk also, delish.

Sometimes I get adventurous with recipes, especially if they are from a different Country. This time I got lucky and it was a winner.

reck, this sounds interesting


i have only had clam chowder. never anything else "fish stew-ish".

hmmmmm........

Huny we share the same problem with getting decent fish. It's a "jet-fresh" catch, which is just not the same, and neither walleye nor bass, from local waterways, would work well for that dish.

During Lent, they do a little better about getting a higher quality of fish into the stores here and maybe there, but last year it was so expensive that I made more vegetarian dishes (or homemade bread & soup) on Fridays for friends observing the season.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hunybee

reck, this sounds interesting


i have only had clam chowder. never anything else "fish stew-ish".

hmmmmm........

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Me too! Although I have never made clam chowder. Oh, I used to get the bouillabaisse that the Oyster House in Bosten, whenever we would get there. Boy did I ever need the dictionary to spell that one. But, I've also never made that at home either. I did make this other dish recently, and boy was it ever wonderful. It was a Seafood Au Gratin. I'll get it and post it here.

Meemur, you might be able to find some frozen seafood to your liking. This cod was $9 a lb. but that was mild compared to the Salmon that is $12 a lb. Large Shrimp here in Carrabelle is $8.50 a lb. And this is a Fishing Town....:shock:

Cod is $13+ pound here and awful, Reck. I get "mystery fish" (farm perch) for about half that, and it's just bad.

I think the beef in FL is horrible, so I eat fish -- seafood -- when I'm there, sometimes for both lunch and dinner. I've been known to chop up gulf shrimp and serve it in scrambled eggs for breakfast. That recipe looks excellent.

Dang, I'm hungry !!

Seafood Gratin (Serves 4)

Copyright 2006, Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten, Clarkson/Potter Publishers, All Rights Reserved

http://www.barefootcontessa.com/imag...d%20gratin.jpg
Photo: Quentin Bacon


1 cup seafood stock or clam juice
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons good white wine, such as Chablis
3 tablespoons tomato puree
½ teaspoon saffron threads
8 ounces raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut in half crosswise
8 ounces raw halibut, cut into1-inch chunks
8 ounces cooked lobster meat, cut into 1-inch chunks
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups julienned leeks, white and light green parts (2 large)
1½ cups julienned carrots (3 carrots)
1 cup panko (Japanese dried bread crumbs)
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 cloves)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place 4 individual gratin dishes on sheet pans. (If recipe is doubled serve it in a 14” x 9 ¼” oval gratin dish.)

For the sauce, combine the stock, cream, ½ cup of the wine, the tomato puree, and saffron in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and add the shrimp. After 3 minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the shrimp to a bowl. Add the halibut to the stock for 3 minutes, until just cooked through, and remove to the same bowl. Add the cooked lobster to the bowl.

Continue to cook the sauce until reduced by half, about 12 minutes. Mash 1 tablespoon of the butter together with the flour. Whisk the butter mixture into the sauce along with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Simmer,stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saute pan. Add the leeks and carrots and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of wine, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until tender. Set aside.

Combine the panko, Parmesan, parsley, tarragon, and garlic. Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and mix it into the crumbs until they’re moistened.

Divide the seafood among the 4 gratin dishes. Strew the vegetables on top of each dish. Pour the sauce equally over the seafood and vegetables and spoon the crumbs evenly on top. Bake for 20 minutes, until the top is browned and the sauce is bubbly. Serve hot.

http://www.barefootcontessa.com/reci...cipeID=515&S=0

Mmmmmmm. Be still my heart! :mrgreen: