Fish Stew-1-5

Stews are a year round staple in my home; it’s my go to meal.  My brother and his wife brought halibut that was caught by a friend in Alaska when they visited at Christmas and I needed the perfect recipe.  I knew that I wanted to stew it but I wanted something different so I made Moqueca, a Brazilian fish stew that originates in the Bahia region.   The fish is cooked in a lovely combination of tomato puree, coconut milk and palm oil.  I didn’t have palm oil so I used olive oil instead.  This is a lovely aromatic stew can be made with seafood such as crabs, lobster and shrimp; I added dried shrimp for even more flavor.

Fish Stew-1-4

 

Brazilian Fish Stew

Adapted from Saveur

2 lbs halibut or cod, cut into chunks

½ cup dried shrimp

Juice of ½ lime

1 medium onion, sliced

1 bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 tbsp crushed garlic

2 cups tomato puree

1 cup vegetable broth

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp salt

1 bay leaf

1 tsp olive oil

1 can coconut cream

Cilantro

Squeeze lime juice over fish and let sit for 5 minutes, then rinse.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper then set aside.  In a large pot over medium fire, add oil.  When oil is hot, add onion and bell pepper and cook until tender, about 5 minutes then add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.

Add tomato puree, bay leaf, dried shrimp, vegetable broth and coconut milk and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.   Next add fish and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the fish is cooked and easily flaked with a fork.   Remove from heat and discard the bay leaf then sprinkle with cilantro to garnish.  This is best served over hot rice.