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Moqueca #FishFridayFoodies


It's time for Fish Friday Foodies' April event. We are a group of seafood-loving bloggers, rallied by Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm, to share fish and seafood recipes on the third Friday of the month. This is, easily, my favorite recipe sharing event of the month. I always come away with a list of recipes that I just have to try!

This month, Karen of Karen's Kitchen Stories is hosting. She instructed: Make a fish dish from any country in Latin America, from Mexico to Chile.



Going Latin



Moqueca

There are many variations of Moqueca, a fish stew from Brazil, but this is the one I learned from a local-to-me chef and it includes plantains which I haven't seen too often in other versions.

Ingredients
  • 2 to 3 pounds of seafood (I used a combination of mussels, scallops, shrimp, squid, and monkfish)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 T freshly squeezed lime juice + lime wedges for garnish
  • freshly ground salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • olive oil
  • 1 C chopped celery
  • 1 C chopped onion
  • 1 C chopped plantain
  • 2 large tomatoes, sliced into wedges
  • 1 T sweet paprika
  • pinch of red pepper chile flakes
  • 3 C water or fish stock (or a combination of those)
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1/2 C fresh cilantro chopped + more for garnish
  • fresh green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced for garnish
  • Also needed: cooked rice (I used black Forbidden rice)

Procedure
Place seafood in a large bowl and toss with garlic and lime juice. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Let stand.

Heat a splash of olive oil in a large soup pot. Add in the celery and onions and cook until the onion is translucent. Add in the plantains and tomatoes and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the paprika and chile flakes and pour in the water or stock. Bring to a boil and lay seafood on the top. Pour any of the marinade into the pot as well. Cover and simmer until the seafood is opaque, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and heat till it's warm. Stir in the cilantro. Adjust seasoning as needed if you prefer more salt and pepper.

To serve, place a scoop of rice in your bowl and ladle seafood around the mound of rice. Pour the broth over the seafood and garnish with fresh cilantro and green onions. Serve immediately.

Comments

  1. This sounds so delicious. Did you use mussels in the shell or a frozen mix of the seafood? I totally can't wait to try this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used a mix of fresh and frozen, but the mussels were just the meat, frozen!

      Delete
    2. Thanks! I'm always intimidated by mussels and clams that are alive!

      Delete
  2. One of my favorite Brazilian dishes, Camilla! I'm intrigued by the black forbidden rice. What a cool color! Does it taste like normal rice?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It tastes more substantial, more like a brown rice and a little more nutty.

      Delete
  3. I have been meaning to make this for ages, so must give your version a try. I like the idea of plantains in there too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This sounds so good. I need to find a substitute for coconut milk though as it doesn’t settle right with Frank. Any suggestions?

    ReplyDelete
  5. This looks so good and tasty. Must try this soon.

    ReplyDelete

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