Brazilian fish stew is a wonderful, easy to make dish, packed with flavour and yet so simple to make. It’s so vibrant and colourful, and yet light dish for lunch or dinner.  When my students asked me to teach them a Brazilian recipe I instantly thought of Moqueca Baiana, the fusion of coconut milk, peppers, lime, tomatoes and chillies is a great way to learn about Brazilian food.  My recipe is very flexible so you can use any white fish. 

Ingredients (serves 2 good portions)

140 g  2 pieces Cod 

150 g Basa (Catfish)

40 g Onion diced

1 ½ Tbsp Coconut oil

1Tbsp Olive oil

250 ml White fish stock or chicken stock

½ Yellow pepper sliced

½ Red pepper sliced

1 small (30 g) Chilli finely diced

2 small Limes

½ tin Coconut milk

15 g Fresh Coriander (Cilantro) chopped

½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika

¼ tsp Cayenne pepper

6 g fresh Garlic thinly sliced

2 Spring onion finely sliced

100 g tomatoes diced with seeds removed

6 large Shrimp

150 grams Jasmine rice (75 grams per person)

Method:

1. Bring a pot to medium heat and melt the coconut oil. Add the chopped onion and chilli and sauté for 2-3 minutes to soften.
2. Add the sliced bell peppers and continue sautéing for another 2-3 minutes.
3. Next add the chopped garlic, cayenne, paprika and saute for another 1-2 minutes until garlic is fragrant.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes and continue sautéing for another 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes soften and release their juices, then turn the heat to low.
5. Add your jasmine rice to a pot of lightly seasoned boiling water. Turn down to a simmer and cook your rice for 17-20 minutes.
6. Add the stock and the coconut milk, lime zest to the peppers and stir well. Bring the stew up to heat before adding the fish.
7. Season the fish lightly with salt and pepper and lay the fish on top of the vegetables and sauce. Gently push the fish under the sauce but do not stir!
8. Cook the stew for 5-6 minutes just until the fish is cooked then turn off the heat.
9. Heat the olive oil in a small non-stick saucepan and cook the shrimp quickly turning once. The shrimp will cook in about 3 minutes. Season them and turn off the heat.
10. Drain the cooked jasmine rice and wash with hot water to remove some of the starch. Then drain again but keep hot.
11. Add the cooked shrimp to the Moqueca. Finish with the chopped coriander and finely diced spring onions.

To Serve:

Spoon some of your jasmine rice into your bowls. Top with the fish stew and serve with a lime wedge or two.

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Chef’s Notes:

My first choice is always to use pristine fresh fish from my fish monger near to Worcester called the Fish Emporium, but if you wish to save money you could buy frozen cod and basa fillets – just make sure to thaw the fish out the night before in your fridge.  Once thawed, dry the fish well with paper towel. As I have mentioned before on my blog, well chosen frozen fish is a better choice than fish packed under atmosphere. Frozen fish will have been frozen when it is fresh, often on the boat it was caught on, whereas the freshness of seafood packed using modified atmosphere is very hit and miss. Not to mention I hate the use of carbon dioxide and other gases to preserve seafood in a world where we have too many greenhouse gases already. 

Moqueca Baiana (Brazilian Fish Stew)©Kevin Ashton 2025