Brazilian fish stew

And here's another one: a show-off recipe that requires hardly any effort. I love it! When the guests exclaim, delighted and slightly embarrassed, ‘What have you done to yourself again?’, I smile gently and reply, ‘Oh, I'm happy to do it for you!’ And in fact, it only took me 30 minutes to prepare, most of which was spent drinking a glass of wine while cooking.
Brazilian fish stew, known as Moqueca de Peixein Portuguese, is one of those super-easy-peasy recipes that develops sensational flavours thanks to good, carefully selected ingredients and fantastic spices, without you having to spend half the day at the stove.

Incidentally, it also makes a great summer dish, as this flavourful fish soup is not heavy. Hang up a poster of the sea and you'll almost feel like you're on holiday! A little bit of that holiday feeling is always welcome.

Which fish should... er... MAY be used in Brazilian fish stew?

We're talking about what's allowed here. After all, there are poor fish whose legacy ends up in a greasy fish and chips bag at a street stall in England. If I were a fish and had to choose a culinary death, I would definitely prefer a fitting end in a Brazilian fish stew.

There are no specific types of fish required for this dish. It is important that the fish has firm flesh so that it does not fall apart immediately in the soup. This is not a problem in terms of taste, but you want to find real pieces of fish in it and not just fibres. I used salmon, cod, plaice and peeled wild-caught prawns. The advantage is that these fish are quite easy to obtain and you don't have to take out a mortgage on your house to buy them. Halibut would also be suitable, but I think it's too good for soup. Otherwise, mussels, crabs, lobsters and so on are also suitable. Incidentally, my salmon and plaice were frozen in this case because I had them at home.

Would you like a side dish?

To be honest, with dishes like this, I like to keep things simple. Serve it with some fresh, crusty white bread and everyone's happy. There's nothing better than dipping bread into aromatic fish stock. My Wheat sourdough breadis perfect for this, or you could use baguette, focaccia or ciabatta.

Rice goes perfectly with this dish. Season the cooked rice and mix with lime juice and chopped coriander, and voilà! You could also add boiled potatoes for a heartier stew, which means you have the side dish ready to go. As long as it tastes good, anything goes!

Enjoy your meal, everyone! 😊

Brazilian fish stew

Moqueca de Peixe: An aromatic, light fish stew with firm fish fillets and lots of lime.

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Preparation time 1 hour hr

For marinating 1 hour hr

Servings: 6 Servings

Dish: Main course

Cuisine: Brazilian

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

For the fish

• 750 g firm fish fillets or seafood e.g. salmon, cod, prawns, scallops, halibut, etc.
• 2 limes squeezed
• 1/2 tbsp. cumin
• 40 ml olive oil
• Salt, pepper

For the stew

• 1 onions
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 large bell peppers red, orange or yellow
• 1 tbsp. sweet paprika powder
• 1 tbsp. cumin
• 1/2 tbsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tbsp. cayenne pepper
• chili flakes optional, as desired
• 1/2 tbsp. salt
• 400 ml chopped tomatoes (tin)
• 400 ml coconut milk (tin)
• 200 ml fish stock alternative: veal or vegetable stock
• 1 lime squeezed
• Salt, pepper, olive oil, lime juice
• 1 bunch fresh coriander

Method

 

1. Cut the fish fillets into cubes measuring approx. 3 x 3 cm. Mix in a bowl with the lime juice, olive oil, salt and coarsely ground pepper. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Finely chop the onion and garlic. Cut the peppers into large chunks.
3. Fry the fish together with the liquid in a suitable pan. Remove again and set aside.
4. Sauté the onion in the same pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and paprika and fry briefly.
5. Add all the ingredients for the stew (except the coriander) and simmer gently, covered, for about 15 minutes.
6. Add the fish pieces back in and heat them up in the stock.
7. Season the broth with salt, pepper and lime juice. Roughly chop the fresh coriander. Divide the stew between plates and serve sprinkled with coriander. Serve with extra lime wedges for individual seasoning.