How to make Moqueca

Moqueca - A beautiful combination of African, Indigenous and Portuguese cuisine. A great recipe you can make in no time.


Moqueca


400g white firm fish
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
Chili (to taste)
2 onions
4 garlic cloves
1 bunch coriander
2 ripe tomatoes
1 lime
Sea salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
3 Tbs of Dende oil. (red palm oil)
1 cup of coconut milk

Marinate

With a hand blender or a food processor, purée 1 onion with 2 garlic cloves, ½ of bunch of coriander and ½ of lime juice.

Add half of the mixture to the fish in a bowl (reserve the other half), season with salt and ground black pepper and let it marinate for 20 min in the fridge.

While the fish is marinating.
Slice the onion, tomatoes and bell peppers into ring shapes (½ of centimeter thickness), discard the seed of the bell peppers. Mince the garlic and chili and roughly chop the coriander leaves.

In a pan (traditionally made with clay pan) add the dende oil and sweat the reserved mix of onion, garlic and coriander on medium heat. When the mixture gets soft, drop the temperature to simmer and add layers of the onions, bell peppers tomatoes and the chili. Add the fish on top, adding all the marinate liquid as well.

Let is simmer for 15 min or until the fish is cooked.

Finish by adding the coconut milk, juice of half of the lime and add fresh chopped coriander.

You can serve with white rice, pirão and banana farofa.

Tip.
You can use any seafood you like, you can also make a vegetarian version, adding tofu, zucchini, mushrooms or any other vegetable you like.