Moqueca de Peixe (Brazilian Fish Stew)

This is the dish that first comes to mind when I think of the Brazilian state of Bahía. The exotic blend of fish and lime, chilies and coconut milk, palm oil and cilantro, evokes the best flavors of this tropical paradise.

I had the opportunity to prepare this dish in Arraial d’Ajuda with our Portuguese language teacher, Luis, a history teacher who was on summer vacation. We worked in the kitchen of our rental house, which had no AC or fan to provide relief from the heat. Sweat rolled down our faces as we added ingredients to the traditional Brazilian clay pot, which was blackened by a coat of mangrove resin. We couldn’t wait to get out of the kitchen with our finished stew, having reached an intermediate state of heat exhaustion, so we retreated to the hammocks on our patio for our feast. You’d think that warm stew of any kind would be the last thing we’d want to put in our bellies in the Brazilian heat. But we did. It was delicious and light, tangy and slightly spicy and just perfect.

When we made moqueca in Brazil, Luis instructed me to buy mahi-mahi. Since then I have made it with both mahi-mahi and swordfish (sustainably caught). I imagine that almost any dense fish would work great. I would try tuna, halibut, and even shark, but it is important to use a thick steak, not filets. Dende (palm) oil is probably the most difficult item in this recipe to find. It is quite different in appearance and flavor from other tropical oils, such as coconut oil, and I can think of no substitute. It is worth seeking out to make an authentic moqueca. Serve over cooked white rice or straight-up like a soup.

Ingredients:

• 2 T. olive oil
• ½ onion, cut into ¼ in. dice
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced into ¼ in. pieces
• 6 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced into ¼ in. pieces
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ½ habanero chili pepper, stemmed, seeded, and minced (optional)
• 1 ½ c. water
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 3 green onions, white and light green parts only, finely sliced
• 1.5 lb. fish steaks with the skin removed (use a firm fish such as swordfish, tuna, halibut, shark, mahi-mahi)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 T. dende (palm) oil
• 1/4 c. cilantro leaves, whole
• 1 lime, cut into supremes (naked fruit) and diced
• 4 c. cooked white rice (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat a large cast-iron, clay, or other heavy casserole over medium heat and add the olive oil.

2. Sauté the onion, red peppers and habanero (optional) on medium heat until softened, about 6‑8 minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes more.

4. Add the water and coconut milk and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally until the peppers are tender, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Add the green onions and place the fish steaks on top. Spoon the sauce over the fish.

6. Cover, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring gently around the fish steaks twice during the cooking time to prevent scorching (be careful not to break up the fish steaks).

7. Mix in the lime juice, dende oil and cilantro and simmer, covered, until fish is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes more.

8. Cut the fish into a few large pieces and serve in large heated bowls accompanied by rice. Garnish with the diced lime supremes.