A few weeks ago I was showing the hubs a recipe of some sort (Probably a muffin recipe, We all know I love those.) on one of my favorite food blogs, Simply Recipes. While I was showing him what I wanted to make, he spotted one that he wanted to make, a Brazilian Fish Stew. Personally, I didn't think it sounded all that great, and reallllly hoped he would just forget about it. (I know, I'm awful. But at least I'm honest!) Well, last week was a really cool, rainy week and I had a "hankering" for soup. We had some white fish in the freezer, a yellow pepper, and almost everything else on had to make it so I decided- Why Not. We went to the store... twice... to pick up the last few ingredients that we needed. (John and I didn't read the recipe very closely and didn't see that it called for cilantro. This resulted in a late trip to Carrefour in the pouring rain.Yeh!) After quite a bit of prep work, the stew came together really quickly. And, may I add, I will trust my hubby's recipe selection better next time. This was one fantastic dish.
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Sorry, no picture today guys! I did take some but honestly, we were so hungry by the time the soup was finished that I didn't plate them very well. I think you would rather me not show you. They just don't do it justice.**
Moqueca
Ingredients
Soup
- 1 1/2 to 2 lbs of fillets of firm white fish such as halibut, swordfish, or cod, rinsed in cold water, pin bones removed, cut into large portions
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 Tbsp lime
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped or sliced
- 1/4 cup green onion greens, chopped
- 1/2 yellow and 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded, de-stemmed, chopped (or sliced)
- 2 cups chopped (or sliced) tomatoes (Or, 1-15 oz can of diced tomatoes)
- 1 Tbsp paprika (Hungarian sweet)
- Pinch red pepper flakes (I used about a pinch and a half. We like a little heat)
- 1 large bunch of cilantro, chopped with some set aside for garnish
- 1 14-ounce can coconut milk (unsweetened)
Rice
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 3/4 cups boiling water (check your rice package for the appropriate ratio of liquid to rice for the type of rice you are using)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Method
1 Place fish pieces in a bowl, add the minced garlic and lime juice so that the pieces are well coated. Sprinkle generously all over with salt and pepper. Keep chilled while preparing the rest of the soup.
2 If you are planning on serving the soup with rice, start on the rice. Bring a couple cups of water to a boil. Heat one Tbsp of olive oil in a medium saucepan on medium high heat. Add the chopped 1/2 onion and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the raw white rice and stir to coat completely with the oil, onions, and garlic. Add the boiling water. (The amount depends on your brand of rice, check the package. If no amounts are given, add 1 3/4 cup of water for every cup of rice.) Stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat, cover, and let cook for 15 minutes, after which, remove from heat until ready to serve with the soup.
3 Back to the soup. In a large covered pan (such as a Dutch oven if you have one. I don't so I used my stock pot.), coat the bottom with about 2 Tbsp of olive oil and heat on medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook a few minutes until softened. Add the bell pepper, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. (At least a teaspoon of salt.) Cook for a few minutes longer, until the bell pepper begins to soften. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and onion greens. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, uncovered. Stir in the chopped cilantro.
3 Use a large spoon to remove about half of the vegetables (you'll put them right back in). Spread the remaining vegetables over the bottom of the pan to create a bed for the fish. Arrange the fish pieces on the vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then add back the previously removed vegetables, covering the fish. Pour coconut milk over the fish and vegetables.
4 Bring soup to a simmer, reduce the heat, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. You may need to add more salt (likely), lime or lemon juice, paprika, pepper, or chili flakes to get the soup to the desired seasoning for your taste.
Garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice.
YUM! While this may look like a complicated recipe, it is so very simple and tasty. Just make sure you read the recipe closely so you don't have to make an extra trip to the store!!
Original Recipe found here on Simply Recipes.
