Moqueca (Brazilian Fish Stew)

Instructions

1. Season the fish with the lime juice and salt; set aside while you build the base.
2. Heat the oil in a wide, deep skillet over medium; cook the onion, peppers, scallion whites, and garlic with a pinch of salt until softened but not browned, 6-7 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and paprika; simmer until saucy, 5 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk, add the whole hot pepper, and simmer 5 minutes more.
4. Nestle the fish into the broth in a single layer; spoon sauce over and simmer gently, uncovered and barely bubbling, until the fish just flakes, 8-10 minutes — don't stir, just baste.
5. Off the heat, remove the hot pepper, shower with scallion greens, cilantro, and parsley, and taste for salt. Serve over rice with lime.

Notes & Substitutions

• The whole hot pepper perfumes the stew without detonating it — fish it out, and tell guests what it was.
• Dendê oil is traditional and gives the iconic color and flavor; it's high in saturated fat, so 2 tbsp is the moderate dose. Olive oil works.
• Shrimp moqueca: add peeled shrimp in the last 3-4 minutes.
• Lighter swap: light coconut milk saves ~80 kcal per serving; the stew stays silky.

Storage & Make-Ahead

• Best the day it's made; keeps 2 days refrigerated — reheat gently and don't let it boil (the fish toughens).
• The tomato-coconut base can be made a day ahead; add the fish fresh.
• Not a freezer — cooked fish and coconut milk both suffer.