Moqueca - Brazilian Fish Stew

Fishboxer Fishbox HQ from Muir of Ord

A Brazilian-inspired seafood casserole with creamy coconut sauce, coriander garnish and plenty of sunshine spice.

Ingredients

• About 700g of fish/shellfish of your choice
• 3 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 4 tbsp lime or lemon juice
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 2 onions (chopped)
• 4 peppers (sliced)
• 4 spring onions (chopped)
• 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 400g tin of coconut milk
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chilli flakes
• a large bunch of fresh coriander (chopped)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
• crusty french bloomer to serve

Method

1. Chop the garlic, onions and spring onions.
2. Slice the peppers.
3. In a large bowl, mix your seafood with the crushed garlic, lime juice, cumin, paprika.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Make sure the seafood is well coated and leave to marinade for at least 20 minutes.
6. Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the onion then cook for a few minutes until softened.
7. Add the sliced peppers and chilli flakes then season to taste.
8. Cook for a few minutes until the peppers soften.
9. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and spring onions then bring to a simmer.
10. Cook for about 5 minutes before adding the coriander.
11. Now remove roughly half of the vegetables from the pan and set aside in a bowl.
12. Spread the remaining vegetables over the bottom of the pan to create a bed for the fish.
13. Place the marinated seafood in the pan, on top of the vegetables, and season with salt and pepper.
14. Add the remaining vegetables back to the pan, making sure to cover all of the seafood.
15. Pour the coconut milk over the fish and vegetables, then simmer for about 15 minutes.
16. Add more seasoning to taste. (You might want to add more lime, paprika, chilli flakes or salt and pepper if required)
17. To finish, garnish with coriander and serve with crusty bread.