The Best Brazilian Fish Stew
There is nothing like a bowl of rich, flavorful Brazilian Fish Stew! Tender chunks of white fish poached in a delicious tomato and coconut broth that satisfies those hangry tastebuds. This recipe has a 5-star restaurant quality taste but is as easy to throw together on a busy weeknight as any other soup is. So come on! Let’s go travel to Brazil for the day with Brazilian Fish Stew!
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What is Brazilian Fish Stew
Brazilian Fish Stew, also called Moqueca, is a flavorful seafood stew found in (obviously) Brazil. It is treasured there and named one of the top foods to try in Brazil! The stew gets its roots from African and Portuguese cooking and any dish created in a melting pot of cultures is bound to be delicious! It is traditionally made with either shrimp or fish or both, so do what you like. The base of the stew is made of chicken stock, coconut milk, and tomatoes making a very rich broth for the fish and other veggies like carrots and peppers.
When I was creating our Brazilian Fish Stew, I saw that there was not a huge variance in recipes out there. I feel like that is the case when you enter the world of traditional, comfort foods. It is a simple dish using simple ingredients, but it creates such a beautiful and tasty stew!
The good thing about this dish is that you can always double the recipe if you have a pot that is large enough. I like to use a wok when I make this but that is just a preference of mine. You can serve it over rice to stretch it further and we enjoy eating it that way. Don’t be fooled…although it tastes luxurious, it is a great budget-friendly option for your meal plan.
Ingredients
Fish:
Any firm white fish will do such as halibut or cod. You just want to make sure it is a thick cut so it holds up well while it poaches in the stew. I love and recommend the tilapia loins from Costco if you have a membership! You will marinate the fish in salt, lime juice, and lime zest for a few minutes while the veggies saute.
Veggies:
Onion, garlic, carrot, bell peppers, jalapeno, tomatoes…yum. Can’t you just imagine right now all of those veggies giving their little accents to a stew? Delish. Of course, if you like things spicy, you can add other chiles to this dish to suit your desires. I hate heat. I like the flavor of spice but hate heat because I’m a cool kid.
When it comes to tomatoes, fresh is amazing if you have a garden and want to use up some tomatoes. However, half the time I use canned tomatoes and the Brazilian Fish Stew is still wonderful. I like to use fire-roasted tomatoes if I’m using canned tomatoes. I just think they are pretty in the stew with the char on them.
And for the peppers: red/yellow/orange work best for this meal.
Lime:
The lime really shines through as you marinate the fish before adding it to the stew. I also like to squeeze a little lime over the top of my stew when I serve it.
Seasoning:
salt, paprika, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, fresh cilantro/parsley/green onions
Chicken Stock:
Use good chicken stock since this is the bulk of what builds your stew. You can use chicken or veggie broth, but I like the richer flavor of stock. If you are really fancy and have made a fish/shrimp stock then use that!
Tomato Paste:
A little goes a long way, but in a pinch, I use ketchup when I don’t have tomato paste on hand, and it always turns out well haha.
Coconut Milk:
Creamy and delicious coconut milk! There is nothing that can take its place in this dish and I’ve been trying to use more coconut milk in recipes lately for its healthy fats. Make sure to use an unsweetened can of coconut milk for this stew!
Coconut Oil:
Since this already has coconut milk, I like to use coconut oil to saute the veggies. This way, the slight coconut flavor carries over and compliments the stew. Use olive oil or butter if you need to.
Serving Brazilian Fish Stew
You can serve this stew alone in a bowl or put a scoop of rice in there. Basmati is a great choice if you want rice to go with it! It isn’t the healthiest choice of rice, but the texture of basmati in the stew is worth the sacrifice for us.
Of course, top the stew with some freshly chopped cilantro, parsley, or green onions! Any one of these illuminates the stew perfectly and adds to the rich flavor, so pick your favorite!
If you want another satisfying soup to try then have a go at my Chicken and Lime Soup with Hominy!
Brazilian Fish Stew
Ingredients
- 1-1.5 lbs Firm white fish I like to use Costco Tilapia Loins
- 3 Tbs Coconut Oil
- 1 Yellow or white onion diced
- 1 Red bell pepper diced or cut into thin strips
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper diced or cut into thin strips
- 3-5 Garlic cloves diced
- 1 Carrot diced or shredded
- 1 Jalapeno seeds and ribs removed and diced
- 5-6 Small tomatoes (like Roma) roughly chopped. (Or use 1 can of diced tomatoes. Fire-roasted is good if you have it!)
- 1 Lime plus more for serving
- 1/2 tsp Salt plus more to taste
- 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 2 tsp Paprika any variety that you have
- 1/2 tsp Chili powder
- 1.5 tsp Cumin
- Red pepper flakes to taste
- 1 14 oz can Coconut milk unsweetened
- 1.5 Cups Chicken stock add up to 2 cups to desired consistency
Instructions
- Cut your fish into about 2-inch chunks and marinate in lime juice, lime zest, and salt. Toss around to coat. This will only marinate a short time while you prepare and saute the veggies.
- Prepare all of your vegetables. Heat coconut oil in a large pot or wok over medium heat. When the oil is hot, saute the onions, peppers, jalapeno, and carrot. Once the vegetables have softened (maybe 5 minutes), add the diced garlic, spices, and tomato paste. Stir for another minute to wake up the spices, then add the tomatoes and stock.
- Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are at your desired level of softness. The longer you simmer the stew, the richer the flavor! I will let it go up to 40 minutes if I have time. Then add the coconut milk and season with salt to taste.
- Add the chunks of fish gently to the simmering stew and slightly nestle them into the broth to poach. Monitor the fish with a cooking thermometer until it is done at 145 degrees (5 minutes or so).
- Serve over rice, if desired, with fresh squeezed lime and herbs! Cilantro, parsley, and green onions are all great choices!
