Brazilian Fish Stew (Moqueca) – 4sp
I am always keen to reduce the amount of meat the hubbie and I consume and try and increase our fish intake. That’s why I’ve decided we are going to start and do ‘Meatless Monday’s’ (he doesn’t know this yet haha). This delightful recipe is therefore perfect to rustle up quickly on an evening after work and is suitably as impressive if you choose to cook it for a group on a weekend. Low in points and bursting with flavour, this fish stew really will leave everyone wanting it again and again. The mixture of the zingy Brazilian flavours with the mellow fish are a lovely combination. Feel free to experiment with the type of white fish you use. I’ve used haddock, cod and coley as well as little monkfish at times. All combinations have been lovely. Just go with whatever you can get the cheapest on the day (coley is perfect as its very cheap indeed!!).
Moqueca – Brazilian Fish Stew
Serves 4 = 4sp per serving
Ingredients
800g white fish (I used cod and monkfish), diced into nice big chunks
2 x limes
Salt and Pepper
1 large onion (white or red), peeled and finely sliced
3 peppers, deseeded and sliced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Bunch of coriander (stalks and leaves separated and both roughly chopped)
1 tbsp each cumin and paprika
½ tsp each Cajun, cayenne pepper, crushed chillies, salt and sugar
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
400ml light coconut milk
400ml fish stock (made with 1 fish stock cube)
Method
Pop the fish into a large bowl, squeeze over the juice of 1 lime, season with salt and pepper and then pop in the fridge to marinade while you make the sauce for the stew.
Take a large saucepan, spray with 1kal and then fry the onion and peppers on a medium heat for 5-6 minutes until the onions start to soften. Add the garlic and the chopped coriander stalks and fry for another minute (add a little water to the pan if it gets too dry).
Add the cumin, paprika, Cajun, cayenne, chilies, salt and sugar, stir and fry for another minute. Then add the tomatoes, coconut milk and fish stock. Stir and then simmer for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes add the fish to the pan and simmer for another 12-15 minutes (or until the fish is cooked through). Remove from the heat and finally add the juice of another lime and the chopped coriander leaves.
Serve on its own or with 40g fluffy white rice per person (4sp. each) You could even top with 1 tsp of half fat sour cream but remember to add the points!
Enjoy!
Lovely! Used to live in Brazil and had forgotten about this dish! Thank you!
Fabulous recipe Laura! Very tasty and light; I’ve been asked to make it again! Thanks very much ?
So glad it went down well!! ?
Fabulous recipe Laura! Very tasty and light; I’ve been asked to make it again! Thanks very much ?
This looks lovely, I would like to try it with chipotle chili
Superb went down very well with hubby too. Made a slight change replacing coconut milk with low fat yoghurt as don’t like coconut milk hopefully didn’t affect points too much ?
Just finished eating this stew and my goodness what a bowl of deliciousness! I used 400g of cod and a bag of frozen king prawns which worked really well. Yet another lovely recipe. X
Hi Laura can you use fish sauce instead of stock? x
Hi Lindsay, no you can’t. Fish sauce is more of a seasoning, it’s really salty and should only be used in small amounts. You could use vegetable stock either x
Had this the other nigh at it was amazing, One question is it definitely a tablespoon of cumin and paprika?
Yet again, another fantastic recipe! It has so much flavour. Thank you x
Very tasty and satisfying!!! Had with cauliflower rice!! Didn’t have Cajun spice so just added more cayenne. Used frozen cod and it still had a very fresh tast! Yum!!!
Made this stew last night, omitted peppers as I’m not a fan but added aubergine and green beans, absolutely delicious! Thank you for another lovely recipe xx
Just made this I used sea bass and prawns and added some courgette and green beans , absolutely gorgeous!!
So glad you liked it Viv!!!
Hi…. I’m planning to have a go at this as looks lovely…. will it be a big mistake if I leave out the coconut milk so it’s more spicy than creamy?? Tia
I wouldn’t leave it out, it’s not a creamy taste when it’s finished, the coconut milk just takes the edge off the tang. Maybe try half and taste and see what you think. It won’t make any difference to the spice tho ?
Made this recipe this evening and am so impressed. So light and tasty. Served with cauliflower cous cous
So glad you enjoyed it Jane!
Just made this tonight for me, my hubby and our 12 year old son – it was a huge hit, thanks! Always keen to try any fish recipes you come up with. Hubby loves spice but is allergic to seafood, so ones like this are brilliant for us. He said you’d pay good money for this in a restaurant!
So glad you all liked it!