Moqueca Baiana (Brazilian Fish and Shrimp Stew)
Moqueca Baiana is Bahia's iconic seafood stew — firm white fish and shrimp simmered gently in coconut milk with tomatoes, peppers, onion, and lime, finished with dendê, the red palm oil that gives the dish its glowing orange colour and nutty, faintly smoky depth. Born from Indigenous, African, and Portuguese roots, it's layered rather than stirred and cooked low so the fish stays whole. Served over white rice, it's the soul of Brazilian coastal cooking.
Ingredients
- 600 gfirm white fish
- 300 gshrimp
- 400 mlcoconut milk
- 3 pcstomato
- 2 pcsonion
- 1 pcsred bell pepper
- 4 clovesgarlic
- 2 pcslime
- 3 tbspdende palm oil
- 1 bunchcoriander
Method
- Cut the fish into large chunks and peel the shrimp. Toss both with the juice of one lime, half the garlic, salt, and pepper, and marinate 20–30 minutes in the fridge.
- Slice the onion, tomatoes, and bell pepper into rounds. Chop the remaining garlic and the coriander stems, keeping the leaves for garnish.
- In a wide pot or clay pot, build a layer of onion, then tomato, then pepper across the base. Scatter over the chopped garlic and coriander stems.
- Lay the marinated fish and shrimp over the vegetables, then cover with a second layer of the remaining onion, tomato, and pepper. Season each layer lightly with salt.
- Pour the coconut milk evenly over the top. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then cover, lower the heat, and cook 15–20 minutes without stirring — swirl the pot instead so the fish stays intact.
- Stir the dende palm oil in a small pan just until warm and loose, then drizzle it over the stew. Keep the heat low so the coconut milk doesn't split.
- Scatter the reserved coriander leaves and a final squeeze of lime over the top. Serve hot, straight from the pot, over white rice.
FAQ
Dendê is unrefined red palm oil, an African ingredient central to Bahian cooking. It gives moqueca its glowing orange colour and a distinctive nutty, faintly smoky, slightly earthy flavour that truly defines the dish. There's no exact substitute: for colour alone you can warm a neutral oil with sweet paprika or a little annatto, but the flavour will be missing. It's worth sourcing from a Latin, African, or online grocer. Use it sparingly and add it near the end, as it can turn bitter if boiled hard.
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