A vibrant fish stew that is made with your local seafood, coconut milk, and peppers. Serve with lime juice and rice for a gorgeous meal.
The Brazilian Moqueca Fish Soup is a customary seafood cuisine that originated in the northeastern states of Bahia and Espírito Santo. It is a savory stew prepared with fish, shrimp, or a blend of both, which is cooked in a sauce based on coconut milk and paprika.
The dish is famous for its vivid hues and flavor, imparted by ingredients like garlic, onions, bell peppers, cilantro, and paprika among other delicious things… 
But if you don’t have time to jump on a jetplane to the Amazon jungle or the beaches of Rio, you can at least get a delicious taste of the home of The Canaries (the Brazilian National Soccer Team) with this fabulous soup.
Brazilian Moqueca Fish Soup
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
A vibrant fish stew that is made with your local seafood, coconut milk, and peppers. Serve with lime juice and rice for a gorgeous meal. Adapted from Simple Recipes.
Ingredients
Fish Stew
- 2 Tb coconut oil
- Olive oil, for drizzling
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, seeds removed and sliced
- 1 jalapeño, chopped and seeds removed if too spicy
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp paprika
- Pinch of cayenne
- 1/2 lb cod, cut into large 1-2 inch pieces
- 1/2 lb sea bass cut into large 1-2 inch pieces
- 2 cups vegetable or fish stock
- 1 can coconut milk, full fat
- 1 lime, zested + lime cut into wedges
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Green onions, chopped for garnish
Brazilian Rice
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped finely
- 1 garlic clove, chopped finely
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Green onions, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot, add coconut oil and a drizzle of olive oil. On medium heat, sauté chopped onion, bell peppers and jalapeño until lightly soft, about 5-8 minutes. Then add chopped garlic, paprika and cayenne and stir to combine, for another 1-2 minutes.
- Pat dry the fish very well with a pepper towel and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Lay the fish down on top of the vegetables and pour the vegetable stock and coconut milk. Add lime zest and season with salt and pepper,
- Cover and cook for about 20-30 minutes on medium-low heat or until the fish is fully cooked.
- While stew is cooking, make the rice: In a small pot, sauté chopped onion and garlic in olive oil until lightly caramelized. Then add jasmine rice and stir to coat so onion and olive oil are evenly distributed through the rice.
- Add vegetable stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring rice to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and continue cooking for about 20 minutes until the liquid has evaporated.
- Fluff rice with a fork and garnish with chopped green onions.
- To serve, either spoon stew on top of rice or have rice on the side. Garnish with lime wedges, cilantro and chopped green onions.
Notes
Use any fish you have on hand for this stew: shrimp, cod, or halibut, for example.
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Brazilian
Which part do I put in tomatoes?
While many traditional Moqueca recipes include recipes, there are no tomatoes in this version, the stew gets its colors from the paprika :)
I made this. It came out very well! I will probably add a little more jalapeno and garlic next time.
This was delicious!! I will definitely make this again. What a perfect soup for a cold night–thanks for the recipe :)
Looks fantastic! Looking forward to making this. Thanks for sharing!