Name: Brazilian Fish Stew (Moqueca)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1/2 pound large shrimp; 1/2 pound white fish (cut in 2" pieces); 6-8 sweet cherry peppers (pureed); 1 cup coconut milk; 1/2 teaspoon ginger paste; 1/2 red onion (diced); 1 can diced tomatoes; 2 teaspoons tomato paste; 1 cup fish stock; 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1/2 teaspoon salt; cilantro (for serving); 2 teaspoons Dende oil (for serving)

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One of the easiest stews you will ever make, this Brazilian Fish Stew is made with fish and shrimp simmered in a slightly spicy and tangy tomato based coconut milk broth. AND...it takes less than 20 minutes to make!!

a bowl of fish and shrimp stew with rice and tomatoes, garnished with cilantro

If I can throw ingredients in a pot and get an amazing meal in less than 20 minutes, I'm sold! Especially this creamy, mildly spicy, tangy deliciousness. Kinda like this creamy Crawfish Bisque I love so much.

This Brazilian Fish Stew (Moqueca) is so deliciously flavorful - the pureed cherry peppers and lime add the perfect amount of tang to the creamy and slightly sweet coconut milk broth, not unlike this Coconut Curry Ramen.

The fish and shrimp are cooked to perfection (no one wants overcooked seafood) and the tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice add a wonderful freshness to the dish. And if you like these flavors, you'll also fall in love with these Brazilian chicken thighs.

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What is Moqueca?
Ingredients
Step By Step Instructions
Expert Tips
Recipe
💬 Comments

What is Moqueca?

Moqueca, or Brazilian Fish Stew, is a Brazilian style fish stew made with fish, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, coconut milk and palm oil. Traditionally, it is slow cooked in a terra cotta style dish, however, we use a dutch oven in this recipe.

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Ingredients

Firm white fish (see below for some different types of fish that can be used) and shrimp are used in this recipe.

Sweet cherry peppers are used to add a bit of tang to the stew. I absolutely LOVE the flavor of these pepper in the soup - I think it makes it! Buy sweet cherry peppers (affiliate link).

The dish is finished with dende oil, which is a reddish colored pungent oil harvested from palm trees in both Africa and South America. The flavor is similar to olive oil, but with a much bolder taste. You can read more about dende oil in this post on Brazilian ingredients.

I recommend using homemade fish stock (it'll have the best flavor) or I find that Better Thank Bouillon makes a pretty good fish stock as well if you don't want to go through the trouble of making your own. Buy Better Than Bouillon (affiliate link).

Firm White Fish

Any kind of firm fleshed white fish will work here. I personally used swai because I had some in my freezer and it's inexpensive, but you could also use a fish like tilapia, cod, snapper or halibut.

The remaining ingredients are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Step By Step Instructions

You are not going to believe how easy this is. The whole recipe comes together in about 20 minutes (less if you're super quick).

This is also perfect for a make-ahead meal as the flavors are even better on the second day.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS BELOW:

**Step 1** - Place cherry peppers in a food processor and puree. It's ok if it is a little chunky. It adds texture to the stew.

coconut milk and seasonings in a pot — **Step 2** -Combine all ingredients, except seafood, cilantro and dende oil, in a dutch oven and bring to a boil. **Reduce heat and simmer 2-3 minutes**.

creamy soup with tomatoes in a pot — **Step 3** - Remove the pot from the heat, add seafood, cover and let sit for 10-15 minutes, until seafood is cooked through.

And that's it. The process is incredibly simple. Serve it over jasmine rice or with a big chunk of crusty homemade bread. Garnish with chopped cilantro and a few drops of dende oil.

brazilian fish stew in a bowl with fresh shrimp, rice and tomatoes, garnished with cilantro

Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. This stew is not great frozen as the seafood becomes rubbery.

How to Serve Brazilian Fish Stew

Serve it over jasmine rice (it has a nice fragrant flavor to it), or this super delicious Coconut Rice.
Serve it with a nice dense, crusty bread like this No Knead Bread.
You definitely want to start your meal with these Vegetarian Empanadas or these Authentic Beef Empanadas.
This Strawberry Spinach Salad or Broiled Tomatoes would also be great starters.

Expert Tips

If you want a thicker stew, add more seafood or less coconut milk and broth. If you want a thinner stew, add more coconut milk or broth.
Add an extra can of tomatoes if you'd like a more tomato based stew.
Substitute a good quality olive oil for the dende oil if you can't find it (affiliate link)
The flavors in this stew are even better the second day, so it's perfect to make ahead!
Any seafood can be used - it would be great with clams, mussels, lobster, etc.