Moqueca De Peixe (Bahian Style Fish Stew)
Moqueca de Peixe is a Bahian fish stew with cod, fresh coconut milk, dendê palm oil, cilantro, and tomato. Authentic Brazilian flavor in 1 hour, served with rice and Farofa.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
25 minCOOK
35 minREADY
1 hrsMoqueca de Peixe is the dish that defines Bahian cooking in Brazil, and this version does not take shortcuts.
It starts with cracking open a fresh coconut - heated until the shell faults, then extracted for both thick pressed milk and reserved coconut water. That combination gives a depth of flavor canned coconut simply cannot match. Then there’s the dendê, the red palm oil that gives Bahian moqueca its signature orange color and earthy warmth.
Cilantro, tomato, bell pepper, and onion get processed into a coarse paste and cooked down before the cod fillets go in. The fish barely needs 5-7 minutes - just enough to turn opaque and flake at the touch.
Serve hot with white rice and Farofa, the toasted cassava flour that soaks up every drop of that coconut broth.
Chef Tips
- Fresh coconut makes a real difference - the coconut water adds brightness that canned coconut milk can’t replicate
- Dendê (red palm oil) is not optional for authentic flavor; find it at Brazilian or African grocery stores
- Don’t overcook the fish - 5 to 7 minutes is all it needs once it enters the stew
Ingredients
Directions
Heat the coconut in a 350℉ (180℃) F oven for 10 minutes so cracks form in the shell.
Remove from oven and, holding it in a cloth (it will be hot) over a large bowl, hit it along the fault lines with a hammer or heavy mallet. The coconut will open.
Reserve the liquid, remove the meat from the shell and take off the brown outer pieces with a pairing knife.
Grate the coconut meat, either with a hand grater or in a food processor.
Wrap grated coconut in cheesecloth and pour ½ cup warm water over it while holding it over a bowl.
Squeeze the liquid from the coconut into the bowl.
This is thick coconut milk.
Add the reserved coconut water to make thin coconut milk and get the true Brazilian taste.
Set aside.
Chop the coriander, tomato, pepper, and onion in a food processor until you have a coarse paste.
Then place the mixture in a large, heavy skillet over low heat.
Add the salt and pepper and cook for 15 minutes.
Add the fish fillets to the mixture and continue cooking for an additional 5 to 7 minutes.
Add ½ cup of the fresh coconut milk and the remaining ingredients, stir and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
Serve the moqueca hot with white rice and Farofa.
Note: Substitute cod fillets wit haddock, scrod, or any white, firm-fleshed fish.
If fresh coconuts are not available, you can substitute thin or light canned coconut milk, but fresh is definitely preferable.
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