Moqueca Baiana (Brazilian Seafood Stew)
Moqueca baiana is a rich seafood stew from Brazil, reminiscent of a mild curry but not made from a spice paste base. This recipe is for the Afro-Brazilian version of moqueca from the state of Bahia. There's also moqueca capixaba from Espirito Santo which uses tomato puree and annatto, lacking the African influence by omitting the coconut milk and dende oil (palm oil). Dende oil is the key ingredient in this recipe.
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Recipe Summary
Ingredients
Directions
Cook's Notes:
For fish use 3 tablespoons lime juice and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. I recommend mahi mahi as it goes great with rich flavors and has a low mercury content among firm white fishes. I hear monk fish tail fillets are great in moqueca and have a flavor similar to lobster with a firm fish texture.
More authentic recipes may use unpeeled shrimp, lobster, crawfish, and mussels if you don't mind playing with your food at the table.
For more authentic Bahian rice, omit the butter, saute the onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil until translucent, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, mix in raw rice and cook until shiny (not browned). Add the water and cook for 15 minutes.
For less fat, use light coconut milk (60% less fat) and margarine or olive oil in the rice.
If you can't find dende oil locally, any red palm oil will suffice, or you can order it online.