When it comes to traditional Brazilian food recipes, it just doesn’t get any better than this authentic Brazilian Moqueca Mista recipe. A marvelous concoction of spices and seafoods, and the PEI mussels impart a pleasant sweetness, complimenting the coconut milk, together in a pleasing contrast to the hot and spicy sauce of the stew.

Moqueca Mista (Classic Brazilian Fish Stew) Recipe-

Ingredients:

(serves 4)

For the Sauce-

• 2 tbsp. dendê oil (a must ingredient)
• 4 tbsp. sliced fresh garlic
• 4 oz. sofrito
• 16 oz. lobster stock
• 8 oz. unsweetened coconut milk
• 4 oz. tomato paste
• 8 ripe Roma plum tomatoes, rough chopped
• 12 okra
• 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 4 tbsp. crushed raw, unsalted cashew nuts
• 1 large bunch fresh cilantro, chopped fine, divided

For the Stew Main Ingredients-

• 8) 5 oz. pieces of Chilean sea bass fillets (You could substitute halibut, but this particular sea bass is outstanding for this stew)
• 16 Cultured black PEI mussels (another must ingredient)
• 16 crayfish, whole (ditto, gotta have them)
• 16 littleneck clams (you guessed it – gotta have these)
• 6 oz. calamari, (squid) chopped into small bite-sized pieces
• 8 large eggs
• 1 tbsp. dende oil

For the Side Dish-

• 4 cups steamed rice
• 8 tbsp. Brazilian chimichurri sauce (another absolute must ingredient)

Directions:

1. In a large, deep walled saucepan or skillet, heat the dendê oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add in the sofrito and sliced garlic, then add the coconut milk and lobster broth. Reduce for one minute and then add the mussels, crayfish, sea bass, clams and okra.
3. Watch to see when the mussels and clams start opening, that’s the time to put the calamari in the pan.
4. Season with salt, half of the cilantro, cashews, and lime juice, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the calamari is well done and tender.
5. As your Moqueca Mista nears completion, boil the eggs. If they are hard boiled before the stew is ready, keep them warm in the pot’s hot water after turning the heat off. Peel and halve them just before serving.
6. For serving, decide if you want to present the Moqueca Mista in on large, central bowl, and have each person ladle out their own servings, or, and this is a traditional favorite, heat up a Toban dish for each person’s personal serving. Either way, build the presentation the same way. First goes the moqueca into the bowl, then adorn the top with the boiled egg halves, and garnish with a generous sprinkling of the chopped cilantro.
7. For the side dish, mix the chimichurri sauce into the steamed rice and serve in a separate bowl for each person.

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