MOQUECA BAIANA (BRAZILIAN SEAFOOD STEW)

Moqueca Baiana (Brazilian Seafood Stew) image

Moqueca baiana is a rich seafood stew from Brazil, reminiscent of a mild curry but not made from a spice paste base. This recipe is for the Afro-Brazilian version of moqueca from the state of Bahia. There's also moqueca capixaba from Espirito Santo which uses tomato puree and annatto, lacking the African influence by omitting the coconut milk and dende oil (palm oil). Dende oil is the key ingredient in this recipe.

Provided by Tony B.

Categories Soups, Stews and Chili Recipes Stews Seafood

Time 1h28m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 24

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Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) can crabmeat
½ pound cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined without tail
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 ½ cups uncooked long-grain white rice
3 cups water
2 tablespoons water
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 ½ tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons salt
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons dende oil (palm oil)
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 small yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 small orange bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 Roma tomatoes, sliced
1 Roma tomato, chopped
½ cup chopped green onions
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Steps:

Place crabmeat and shrimp in a dish; coat with lemon juice, lime juice, 3 cloves garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Mix well. Cover with plastic wrap; chill until ready to use.
Combine rice, 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons water, coconut milk, chopped onion, butter, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 clove garlic in a large saucepan or rice cooker. Simmer, covered, until water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
Heat dende oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir sliced onion until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add yellow bell pepper, orange bell pepper, and crushed pepper. Cook and stir until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sliced tomatoes, chopped tomato, and green onions. Reduce heat to low; let vegetable mixture simmer for 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and cilantro.
Transfer 1/2 the vegetable mixture to a plate. Spread the remaining mixture to evenly cover the bottom of the skillet. Spread crab-shrimp mixture on top. Top with the remaining vegetable mixture and pour on coconut milk. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low. Cook without stirring until flavors blend, about 15 minutes. Serve over the rice.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 480 calories, Carbohydrate 57.3 g, Cholesterol 95.7 mg, Fat 18.9 g, Fiber 3.2 g, Protein 21.8 g, SaturatedFat 13.5 g, Sodium 1139.4 mg, Sugar 4.1 g