A simple Brazilian Fish Stew called Moqueca made with your choice of fish and simmered in coconut milk with onion, tomatoes, chilies and lime. Easy, fast and full of flavor! Serve this with rice! Video.
Looking for more? Check out 50+ Best Fish Recipes! and 50+ Easy Dinner Ideas!
This simple recipe for Brazilian Fish Stew is easy to make and takes about 35 minutes, perfect for busy weeknights! Brazilians call this dish Moqueca (pronounced “mo-KEY-ca”) and it can vary a bit from region to region.
This version hails from Salvador, a bustling city on the coast of Brazil, just north of Rio de Janeiro, that offers up delicious seafood prepared using African influences and techniques. This part of Brazil is known for pairing fish with spicy chilies, lime, and cooling coconut milk, a lovely combination.
What I love about this Brazillian Fish Stew is how simple it is, and how quick it is to make! Quick enough for weeknights and special enough for Sunday supper….either way, I think you will like this recipe for Moqueca. Serve it with rice or a simple green salad, or both!
We have several other popular fish stews on the blog all super delicious; Portuguese Fish Stew (Caldeirada), Sea Bass with Cannellini Bean Stew and Peruvian Seafood Stew with Cilantro Broth
How to make Moqueca! | 45-second video
What is Moqueca?
Moqueca is a Brazillian Fish stew with coconut milk, tomatoes and peppers. It’s traditionally served over rice with lime and cilantro.
Ingredients in Moqueca:
- White fish- Halibut, Black Cod, Sea Bass , Cod, escolar, etc. (thicker cuts are best)
- Dende – Brazillian Red Palm oil ( or coconut oil)
- Onion
- Carrots
- red bell pepper
- garlic
- chili peppers
- tomato paste
- spices
- fish or chicken stock
- Tomatoes
- coconut milk ( liquid and solids)
- Lime
The best firm fish for soups or stews:
You generally want to use firm white fish for most stews and soups, because they will hold their shape and not disintegrate in the liquid. Here are 10 the best fish (and seafood) to use in soups and stews.
- sea bass
- halibut
- black cod
- haddock
- escolar
- ono
- red snapper
- salmon
- scallops
- shrimp
Where to find the best fish!
If looking for a good source of wild-caught, sustainably-raised fish or seafood with no antibiotics, I highly recommend Seatopia!
How to make Moqueca
It starts with seasoning the fish. Use black cod, halibut, sea bass, black cod, escolar or any firm white fish ( or shrimp) you like.
Even shrimp or shellfish (clams or mussels) would work well here.
In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and salt, and sauté 2-3 minutes.
Turn heat down to medium, add carrot, bell pepper, garlic and jalapeno pepper and cook 4-5 more minutes.
Add tomato paste, spices and stock.
Mix and bring to a simmer and add tomatoes.
Cover and simmer gently on medium-low for 5 minutes or until carrots are tender.
Add the coconut milk and taste and add more salt if necessary.
Nestle the fish in the flavorful coconut stew, pouring the remaining marinade over the fish and into the stew, and either continue cooking stovetop, spooning the flavorful liquid over the fish for about 3-5 minutes ( until the desired doneness) or for thicker cuts, place in a 350F oven, for 8-10 minutes.
Once done, the Moqueca will have thickened beautifully.
Sprinkle with fresh cilantro or Italian parsley and serve with a wedge of lime.
We enjoyed this with a simple green salad, dressed with lemon, olive oil and salt and rice.
Crusty bread makes a nice vehicle for left-over pan juices. Trust me, you won’t want to waste this! So much flavor!
Please let me know what you think of this Moqueca Recipe in the comments below!
You may also like:
- Balinese Fish and Potato Curry (Kari Ikan)
- Sinigang (Filipino Sour Soup)
- Sea Bass with Cannellini Bean Stew
- Portuguese Fish Stew (Caldeirada)
- Peruvian Seafood Stew with Cilantro Broth
- Simple Salmon Chowder
- Simple Authentic Cioppino Recipe
Happy week friends!
xoxo
Brazilian Fish Stew – Moqueca
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Main
- Method: Braise
- Cuisine: South American
Description
Brazilian Fish Stew (Moqueca) with coconut milk, lime and jalapeño – a flavorful seafood stew that the whole family will love.
Ingredients
Fish:
- 1 – 1 1/2 pounds firm white fish- Halibut, Black Cod, Sea Bass ( thicker cuts are best)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- one lime- zest and juice
Stew/ Sauce:
- 2–3 tablespoons coconut or olive oil (or use Dende – Brazillian Red Palm oil for the best flavor!)
- 1 onion- finely diced ( red, white or yellow)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup carrot, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 4 garlic cloves- rough chopped
- 1/2 jalapeno, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin (or whole seed)
- 1 cup fish or chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups tomatoes, diced ( preferably fresh)
- 1 14 ounce can coconut milk ( liquid and solids)
- more salt to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, scallions or Italian parsley
- squeeze of lime
Serve over cilantro rice, basmati rice, black rice or everyday quinoa.
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dry the fish and cut into 2 inch peices. Place in a bowl. Add salt, zest from half the lime and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Massage lightly to coat all pieces well. Set aside.
- In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion and salt, and sauté 2-3 minutes. Turn heat down to medium, add carrot, bell pepper, garlic and jalapeno and cook 4-5 more minutes. Add tomato paste, spices and stock. Mix and bring to a simmer and add tomatoes. Cover and simmer gently on medium low for 5 mintues or until carrots are tender.
- Add the coconut milk and taste and add more salt if necessary.
- Nestle the fish in the stew and simmer gently until it’s cooked through, about 4-6 minutes. Spoon the flavorful coconut broth over the fish and cook until desired doneness or longer for thicker pieces. ( You can also finish this in a 350F oven).
- Taste and adjust salt and squeeze with lime.
- To serve, serve over rice, sprinkle with cilantro or scallions and a squeeze of lime.
- Drizzle with a little olive oil if you like.
Notes
Serve with rice or crusty bread to mop up all the juices.
If making this ahead, I recommend making the stew ahead (without fish), refrigerating it for up to 3 days, reheating it, and then nestling it in the fish to cook right before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 ounces fish plus ¼ of the stew
- Calories: 290
- Sugar: 4.2 g
- Sodium: 429.9 mg
- Fat: 17.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 9.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.4 g
- Fiber: 2.3 g
- Protein: 23.5 g
- Cholesterol: 50.1 mg
This fish stew did not disappoint. Will definitely make again. I went easy on the jalapeño because not everyone likes the “heat”. I will add a little more next time. Instructions were excellent!
Delish! And super easy to make.
I doubled the cumin, chilli, paprika and added a spoonful of spicy garlic chutney (from Nana’s Chutneys). Ended up with a tasty stew with a bit of heat at the back!
The lime really made it 🙂
Perfect!
Hello did you use whole cumin seeds?
I did- and you can use either ground cumin or whole seed. Either works!
I did it with shrimp, next time I’ll try fish
Easy to follow absolutely delicious! Your Moqueca Capixaba is best.
Yay!!! thanks so much!
Making this right now… what do you mean by Spoon the flavorful coconut broth over the fish
Take spoonfuls of the coconut broth and drizzle it over the cooking fish -the part of the fish that is sticking out of the broth. 😉
Delicious! My husband is a baby when it comes to spice, but I think I might sneak a little more in next time. But overall, a total success and on our “make it again” list!
Thanks so much and so happy you liked it!
Very tasty. I made it twice I put fresh clams and mussels in it very good…
Great to hear Jim!
Made this for the first time. Loved it. I also added shrimp. Ate it with crusty bread.
Perfect, thanks!
It was so good that my girlfriend insisted that I cook it again the following day !
Haha! Love it Peter!
Loved this….Light and delicious. The additional lime at the end just hit the right note.
Very good! I omitted the red pepper (didn’t have one), and I used a can of petite dice tomatoes with some fresh ones, but otherwise mostly made it as written. We ate it as stew, not over rice, and found the flavors to be very satisfying. The cilantro sprinkled on at the end really added something!
Great to hear Rebecca!
This was incredible. Will definitely make again. Needs WAY more than 1/2 a jalapeno though so I put in about 2.
Perfect!
We love this!! It’s our favourite meal. Scrumptious!!!
Awesome, glad you liked it Gail!
Easy to make and super tasty!
I used 1.6lbs fresh wild cod, added another cup of coconut milk, doubled the cumin and didn’t use the bell pepper as I didn’t have it on hand. Served over coconut lime rice. Shared the recipe with other family members, definitely recommend!
This recipe was fantastic — so easy and allows one to deviate a bit without losing the delicious end product! I used Escolar that I bought frozen, thawed in fridge for a couple of hours, and cut beautifully into cubes as it was still partially frozen while starting the recipe. I used two 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes (roasted garlic), and added a little bit of white wine to deglaze the vegetables, plus a habernera pepper in lieu of jalaleno (for extra spiciness!). Served w/crusty sour dough — a hit with my family, third time I made it! Thanks so much for a great recipe
I made this dish for dinner and followed it’ exactly as is, which is rare for me! I love to add my owb twist to recipes. But this one is perfect as is! I topped mine with fresh green onion, cilantro and plenty of fresh lime juice which really brightened the flavor. Fur fish, I used frozen wild Alaskan cod and let it thaw out beforehand. Delicious! Saving this to make again and again.
Absolutely delicious. Will definitely make again. Used sablefish, hot smoked paprika, a whole jalapeño and canned tomatoes (since that was what I had). Just wonderful!
Delicious, i added clams and baby octopus in addition to cod. Also added mushrooms
Fantastic ! Very easy to make. Thank you
This reminds me of some Thai dishes and dishes from when I lived in Honduras. It sounds delicious. I’m going to make this for sure.
My second fish stew recipe from you and this is another awesome recipe! I added prawns which was great. Thanks!
One of my new favorite dishes! Absolutely delicious, thank you so much. If I ever manage to find Dende oil one day, I’m excited to see how different it tastes.
Yay Rachael! Glad this worked for you! 🙌
Much different it adds a flavor that you cant imagine. Dende oil is palm oil you can find it at international stores. African market.
Rachel,
I get all my specialty stuff from Amazon.
Absolutely Delicious!!!!! Easy to make. I used coconut Oil instead
Thanks so much!
Absolutely Delisious!!!!! Easy to make
Awesome
I’m planning to veganise it using tofu and nori. Do you think it may work lol?
I do!!!
A bit of eggplant ?and try plantains in 1 inch cuts