Brazilian-style seafood stew with garlic rice (moqueca)

This soup, which hails from Brazil, is called a moqueca. Coconut milk makes it creamy and the tomato and spices add flavour. Serve it with garlic rice for a delicious bowl of spiced-up comfort food.

Brazilian-style seafood stew with garlic rice (moqueca). Credit: Comfort Food With Spencer Watts

• serves

  2-3

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 280 g (10 oz / 2 portions) cod (see Note)
• 6 prawns (shrimp), peeled and deveined
• 1 ½ tbsp (30 ml) chilli oil
• Lime wedges and coriander leaves, to garnish

Moqueca

• 3 tsp (15 ml) olive oil
• 1 tbsp crushed garlic
• ½ cup diced yellow capsicum (pepper)
• 1 cup diced red capsicum (pepper)
• 1 tsp lime juice
• ½ cup fish stock
• 3 tsp sliced spring onion
• 2 cups canned whole tomatoes, crushed
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• 1½ tbsp chopped coriander (cilantro)
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 1½ tsp salt

Garlic rice

• 1 cup rice
• 1½ cup fish stock
• 1½ tsp crushed garlic
• 3 tsp sliced spring onion
• ¼ tsp salt
• 3 tsp butter

Instructions

1. On a small baking tray, marinate the cod and prawns in the chilli oil. Reserve.
2. For the moqueca: In a saucepan on medium high heat, add the olive oil, and once hot sear the pieces of cod for 1-2 minutes. Remove cod from the pan and set aside. Add the red and yellow capsicum (peppers) and sauté, then add the garlic and cook again for about 2 minutes. Add the fish stock, tomatoes, paprika and chilli flakes. Allow to simmer. Finish moqueca with the lime juice, salt and coconut milk and simmer again for a few minutes. Add the marinated prawns and seared cod back to the soup. Cover with a lid and simmer for 2 minutes, then finish with coriander (cilantro).
3. Meanwhile, for the garlic rice: Add rice and fish stock to a medium-size saucepan on medium high heat. Cover with foil and cook until water is gone. Allow to stand for 5 minutes. Fluff rice with salt and butter, then finish with a sprinkling of scallions.
4. To serve: Scoop out some rice and add it to one side of a bowl. Ladel some soup into the open space and top with fish and a few prawns. Garnish with lime wedges and coriander.

Note

I’ve used cod, but you could use whatever firm-fleshed fish is available.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.