Moqueca de peixe

Try this colourful recipe from Brazil for a marvellous seafood stew with the fresh flavour of lime and the mellow taste of red palm-fruit oil, a Brazilian favourite. Serve as part of a shared meal.

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 kg thick, firm, white fish fillets or cutlets or 1 kg shelled green prawns, or a mixture of both
• 2 limes, juiced, plus extra to serve 
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped 
• 1 onion, sliced 
• 1 tbsp grated ginger 
• 5 long red chillies, chopped 
• 1 red capsicum, sliced 
• 5 tomatoes, chopped 
• olive oil
• salt and pepper 
• 250 ml fish or vegetable stock 
• 1 bunch coriander, chopped (reserve some leaves to garnish)  
• spring onions, finely sliced, to garnish
• 120 ml red palm-fruit oil (optional)

Marinating time 30 minutes

Instructions

Halve the fish fillets or cutlets and marinate in the lime juice with half the garlic for at least 30 minutes. If using prawns, marinate them whole.

In a large saucepan, sauté the remaining garlic, onion, ginger, chilli, capsicum and tomato in olive oil over medium heat until a sauce is formed. Taste and add salt and pepper. Add the stock and fish and simmer gently until just cooked. If using a combination of fish and prawns, add the prawns later as they cook in less time.

Taste again for seasoning and stir through the chopped coriander. Place in a serving dish and squeeze over some extra lime juice. Sprinkle with the spring onions and extra coriander leaves and drizzle over the palm-fruit oil, if using. Serve with rice.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.