This is a take on a Brazilian Moqueca. It’s a stew made with tomatoes and coconut milk, as well as traditional dende or palm oil. It has some type of seafood as well—usually fish, shrimp or even crab. I had a hankering for shrimp the other night, but I wasn’t quite sure what I would make. I pondered shrimp and grits (don’t worry I’ll be making that one soon), and then I thought about fried shrimp. I had some coconut milk left over in the fridge, so I thought about a thai curry. In browsing through some of my cookbooks I stumbled upon a fish moqueca. I put an asian twist on it with the addition of chilies, bell peppers, and peanut oil. This was spicy and sweet, and oh so vibrant. This will be a great go-to recipe during lent this year. It’s vegetarian! I served it over good old white rice.
- 1¼ pounds raw jumbo shrimp, deveined and peeled with tail on
- 1 orange bell pepper sliced thin, about 2 inches long
- 1 small white onion diced
- 1–2 small green chiles minced, seeds and veins removed
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 8 campari tomatoes or 2–3 roma tomatoes quartered
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 Sazón packet with annatto (or cumin, coriander, garlic powder and annatto)
- cayenne pepper
- salt
- pepper
- peanut oil (can substitute olive oil)
- handful of fresh cilantro for garnishing
- half a lime
- Coat a skillet or dutch oven with peanut oil on medium high heat.
- Salt and pepper the shrimp.
- When the oil is hot add the shrimp, and sauté on both sides until the shrimp are pink and opaque. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add a touch more oil to the pan if necessary. Lower the heat to medium and sauté the bell pepper, onion, chilies and garlic with a pinch of salt. Be sure to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan as the vegetables release water.
- Add the quartered tomatoes and their liquid to a food processor and process until smooth.
- Once the vegetables are softened, add the tomato purée, Sazón packet seasoning, a pinch of cayenne (more if you like it hot like me), and fresh ground pepper.
- Simmer the stew for 5 minutes and then add the coconut milk, stirring to combine.
- Add the shrimp and its juices back to the stew, and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat to low and cover. Let simmer gently for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Finish stew with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro. Serve with white rice.
