Total: 1 h 30 min Diners: 4

The moqueca bahiana is a Fish stew very typical of northern Brazil and whose most representative feature is that it uses palm oil in it at the time of stewing the Vegetable Recipes. Like any popular stew, it is fair to understand that moqueca undergoes many modifications throughout the country and in every house, although as a general rule it will always have a firm fish, which can be Sea Bass, sea bream, monkfish or turbot, coconut milk, tomato and coriander. In addition, you can give it a touch of spice if you want and you could incorporate some seafood in the form of shrimp or prawns to make, thus, a mixed moqueca.

The “bahiana” is because this dish is typical of the State of Bahia and, indeed, there are more types of moquecas depending on the areas but generally coincide in that they are prepared in clay pots, which are no longer so stylish in our homes. Near the moqueca you can never miss the rice (if you want with a little bit of the typical Brazilian Pirao) and, if you can, I would also incorporate some plantain chips, just for my own pleasure. As mentioned, palm oil or dendé is one of the key ingredients for this dish but if we do not have it (as is normal) we can always substitute it with olive oil or coconut oil.

For this type of fish stew I always like to incorporate the slices of fish at the last moment so that they cook practically with the residual heat of the sauce and thus ensure that we do not overcook. Here, the perfectly boned and flake-free sea Bass is lightly seasoned with salt and lemon while all the magic of the casserole is happening and then, in the last minutes, we incorporate it providing a gentle back and forth. The same as we do in fish and potato stews, in the marmitako of bonito, in the tuna belly with onions or beans in green sauce with cod; however, the thing changes if we talk about fish meatballs in sauce, for example, that it is advisable to leave them a few minutes cooking in the sauce.

How to make Bahian sea bass moqueca

Ingredients

. Sea bass portion, 2 pc Purple onion, 1 pc Garlic cloves, 2 pc Palm oil or coconut oil or vegetable oil, 3 tbsp Green bell pepper, 1 pc (and red, optionally) Tomato, 3 pc Chopped fresh cilantro, 4 tbsp Coconut milk, 1 can Salt, c/s Ground black pepper, c/s Lemon, 1 pc

Step 1

For our Bahian sea bass moqueca, the first thing we will do is peel the onion and chop it into julienne strips, chop also the garlic very tiny, the peppers and peel (if desired) and chop the tomato. Chop also the cilantro and clean the fish.

Step 2

While you poach the garlic with the onion over low heat, with the palm or coconut oil and salt, finish cleaning the sea bass and cut it into pieces, making sure it has no scales or bones. Place the sea bass in a bowl, add salt and a little lemon juice and mix well.

Step 3

Add the chopped peppers and let them fry until they start to become tender. Then add all the tomato and sauté over medium heat making a kind of tomato sauce. Mix well to make a tomato sauce.

Step 4

When the tomato is well poached, add the coconut milk, then add the spice if desired and salt and black pepper and let it cook over low heat until you get a dense and creamy sauce and full of flavor.

Step 5

When our sauce is perfect, add the chopped coriander to taste. If you want to add a little lemon juice and, finally, add the sea bass that we had chopped. Rock the sea bass in the stew so that it cooks and mixes everything very well. If you want a more powerful fish flavor, it is not a bad idea to add some very concentrated fish broth with the coconut milk, or seafood broth, or 100% natural powdered broth.