This Authentic Moqueca Recipe (or Brazilian Fish Stew) is made perfectly savory and comforting with firm fish, creamy coconut, tomatoes, lime and spiced peri peri seasoning.
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I’m Chef Mireille and a big thank you to Grandbaby Cakes for giving me the pleasure of hosting her site today. A born and bred New Yorker, I’m lucky to not only live in one of the most diverse cities in the world, but I also come from one of the most diverse families on the planet. Both my city and my mixed heriitage influence my cooking, therefore I specialize in exploring traditional recipes of every culture.
Are you ready to come with me to Brazil today?
Perks and Highlights of Brazilian Fish Stew
Cuisine Inspiration: Brazilian
Samba your way through the kitchen with this stew, inspired by the vibrant flavors of Brazil. It’s a culinary carnival in a pot!
Primary Cooking Method: Stewing
Slow and low is the tempo! This method helps all the flavors to shimmy together beautifully, creating a rich, harmonious dish.
Dietary Info: Pescatarian, Gluten-Free
Rich in proteins and omega-3s from the fish, this stew is a perfect fit for those following a pescatarian or gluten-free lifestyle.
Key Flavor: Savory with a Hint of Coconut
The melody of fresh seafood simmered with spices and coconut milk offers a creamy, tantalizing taste that dances on the tongue.
Skill Level: Intermediate
Some culinary rhythm is needed, but with a little practice, any home cook can lead this kitchen parade!
Special Perks:
- Heart-Healthy: Loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, this dish is a heart’s best friend.
- Versatile Seafood Selection: Flexible enough to accommodate various types of fish or seafood based on your preference or catch of the day.
- Meal Prep Friendly: Make it ahead, and the flavor deepens as it sits, making leftovers something to look forward to.
- Naturally Gluten-Free: No need for ingredient swaps here, it’s a naturally gluten-free delight.
- Exotic but Accessible: While the flavor profile is exotic, the ingredients are accessible in most local supermarkets.
What Is Moqueca?
Brazilian Fish Stew (or Brazilian Seafood Stew) is one of the most popular dishes of Brazilian cuisine, but are they all the same?
In a word – NO
Moqueca has many regional variations. The required ingredients are seafood and tomatoes, but some versions are made with olive oil instead of dende oil and some versions do not include coconut milk.
This version, Moqueca Baiana originates from the Bahia state of Brazil, which is the heart of the African descended population in Brazil. Traditionally, many of the people of this region were fisherman. Therefore, whatever was caught that day that they couldn’t sell turned into Moqueca Baiana.
This Brazilian Fish Stew is so versatile as it can be made with any variety of fish and/or seafood.
I have been making Moqueca Baiana for years and this simple recipe is always a big hit and here’s all the tricks to make a delicious Moqueca!
Ingredients
These are the ingredients needed to make this Brazilian Fish Stew:
- Red Palm Oil, also known as dende oil, is the most common cooking oil in the Bahia region of Brazil – a note to the African origins. You can substitute with any other cooking oil like vegetable oil, sunflower oil or grapeseed oil, however, you won’t get such richness of color.
- Fish – Use any firm, white fleshed fish like cod, sea bass, haddock or basa.
- Seafood – Any variety of shellfish can be utilized. You can either include it in the shell or out.
- Coconut Milk – Use canned coconut milk only or fresh, but do not use carton coconut milk. Carton coconut milk has less body.
- Piri Piri Seasoning – Although this will definitely add more flavor, you can also use just 2 teaspoons of paprika and 1 teaspoon of cumin if you cannot source piri piri. However, you can make the piri piri seasoning yourself.
- Tomatoes – You can use fresh tomatoes, canned diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes.
How to Make Moqueca Brazilian Fish Stew
- Marinate to Elevate: Kick things off by treating your fish and mussels to a zesty lime, salt, and pepper spa. Let ’em chill and soak up all that goodness for 30 minutes. They deserve it!
- Sauté the Base Crew: Heat some oil in a large pot over medium heat, then invite the onion, garlic, and bell pepper to the party. Sauté them until they’re just soft enough to jam together.
- Tomato Time: Throw in the tomatoes and tomato paste and let them groove with the rest of the crew for about 10 minutes. You want those tomatoes mushy and mingling!
- Creamy Coconut Wave: Pour in that luxurious coconut milk and sprinkle the piri piri seasoning like it’s confetti. Bring it to a boil and let those flavors pop!
- Seafood’s Grand Entrance: Here comes the star of the show! Add your marinated fish and mussels, and let them simmer for 5-8 minutes. They’ll soak up all those bold flavors and get perfectly cooked.
- Herb Toss & Citrus Splash: Time for the grand finale! Toss in a handful of cilantro and give it a good stir. Check your seasonings, then hit it with a splash of fresh lime juice.
- Serve in Style: Dish up your vibrant Moqueca with extra lime wedges and your choice of yuca, rice, or farofa on the side. Because hey, this dish deserves a posse of fabulous sides!
What is Moqueca served with?
You can serve Moqueca with one or a variety of these accompaniments and garnishes:
- Boiled yuca
- Toasted farofa (cassava meal)
- Steamed Rice
- Avocado Slices
- Lime Wedges
- Malagueta peppers (African bird’s eye chillies)
What is farofa?
Farofa is a common side dish to most Brazilian meals, including this Brazilian Seafood Stew. It is a dried coarse meal made from yuca/cassava/manioc. The most simple preparation is made by toasting it in a skillet with a little palm oil.
However, do not confuse it with American brands of cassava flour or cassava starch. This is a different product that is processed into a finer grain.
It is best to purchase a Brazilian brand like Yoki or Julia’s (both available on Amazon).
Storage and Reheating
- Cool it Down: First things first, you gotta let the Moqueca cool. Like all great parties, it needs some time to wind down. Give it about 30 minutes at room temperature, but hey, no longer than two hours! We’re not trying to create a bacteria rave here.
- Seal the Deal: Once it’s cool, transfer your Moqueca into airtight containers. We’re locking in freshness, folks! If you’re using plastic containers, make sure they’re BPA-free because we care about your health.
- Fridge or Freezer Fun: Pop these containers in the fridge if you’re planning a Moqueca encore within the next 3-4 days. For longer storage, send them to the freezer, where they can chill for up to 2 months! Just remember: the sooner you reheat, the better it’ll taste.
- Reheat Like a Pro: Ready for round two? If it’s coming from the fridge, reheat it on the stove, low and slow, stirring occasionally. From the freezer? Thaw it in the fridge overnight first for the best results.
Seafood Recipes
If you love this, you will also love this Catfish Stew, Oyster Stew, Seafood Paella, Seafood Gumbo and Cajun Clam Chowder.
Thank you Chef Mireille for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Moqueca (Brazilian Fish Stew)
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Ingredients
- 1 lb white fish chopped – see note below
- 1/2 lb mussel meat see note below
- 1 1/2 limes divided/ you will be using the juice from the limes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp red palm oil see note below
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- 4 plum tomatoes chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 13.5 oz coconut milk can
- 2 tsp piri piri seasoning see note below for replacement
- 2 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
- Season fish and mussels with juice of 1 lime, salt and pepper and marinate for 30 minutes.
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat.
- Add onion, garlic and bell pepper. Saute for a few minutes, until softened.
- Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and quite mushy.
- Add coconut milk and piri piri seasoning. Bring to a boil.
- Add fish and mussels. Simmer for 5-8 minutes, until fish is cooked through.
- Add cilantro and stir to combine. Adjust salt as needed and finish with the juice of ½ lime.
- Serve with lime wedges and yuca, rice or farofa (cassava meal).
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I loved the unique blend of flavors, unique to me, and my family also helped me devour this dish. Wonderful and thank you for sharing.
You’re so welcome, Crystal!
This recipe is delicious. I was able to find all the ingredients without much of an issue. I was a little unsure of the amount of mussels to buy since the recipe calls for “mussel meat” rather than mussels in their shells. I was doubling the recipe so I needed a pound of mussel meat. I ended up buying a 4 pound bag of mussels. I steamed them in some chicken broth and dry vermouth with shallots and garlic, took the mussels out of their shells and weighed them. I had a little over 10 ounces but it was plenty for the stew.
This is not a difficult dish to make but it does take more than 15 minutes of prep time. There is a lot of chopping and if you steam the mussels, as I did, that adds a lot of time as well. Still, it’s a great dish with a complex flavor. Make sure you add the lime after dishing it out-it really balances the flavors and is a great compliment.
Love all these tips! So glad you liked it, Gina!
Made this last week and everyone absolutely loved it! Made my own peri peri seasoning but didn’t have quite all ingredients. Used canned tomatoes. Was all I had. Still came out great! First time trying Brazilian food!
Absolutely amazing!!! I am home alone for 10 days. My wife is not a fan of fish. She loves crab. Thinking about the he Cod Filets in my freezer and hungry for a new recipe, this recipe quickly caught my eye. After thawing about 1and1/4 lbs of cod then setting it aside to marinate as directed,
I started a pot of brown rice while prepping the onion, garlic, bell pepper, tomatoes, and cilantro.
Using hazelnut oil to sauté the onions, garlic, and bell pepper, I pretty much followed the recipe directions adding the tomato paste and chopped plum size tomatoes. I had to add a bit of water because it was too thick to cook the tomatoes til tender.
I cut the cod into roughly 1” cubes. I did not have any mussels or shrimp. …not to worry!
Not having “piri piri” seasoning, I used 2 tsps smoked paprika and 1 tsp cumin instead.
When all was done, to a large soup bowl, put about a cup of the brown rice and added the Moqueca Bariana over it. I heated a couple of home made flower tortillas to clean my bowl!
This was the most wonderful, satisfying cod (or any seafood you wish to add) stew recipe I could ask for. What an incredible, bold flavor!
The cod had the texture and tasted a bit like crab! My wife would absolutely enjoy this !
In the future, I’ll try adding mussels, squid, octopus, shrimp, or a number of other varieties of fish. Maybe even some vegetables?
You can’t go wrong with this recipe!!