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Peixada cearense is the generous fish pot of Ceará, on Brazil's northeastern coast. Thick pieces of fish are poached with tomatoes, peppers, onion, cabbage and whole hard-boiled eggs in a fragrant broth with plenty of cilantro and scallion. Chayote stands in for the usual potatoes, keeping all the heartiness and very little of the starch.
Per serving: 261 calories · 7.6 g net carbs · 33 g protein · 9 g fat (calculated from the ingredients)
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
- 2 pounds firm white fish steaks (snapper grouper or cod)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 2 medium tomatoes chopped
- 1 red bell pepper cut into strips
- 2 chayotes peeled and cut into thick wedges
- 1 small carrot sliced
- 1/4 small head green cabbage cut into wedges
- 3 cups water
- 4 large eggs hard-boiled and peeled
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 3 scallions sliced
Instructions
- Season the fish with the lime juice, garlic and half of the salt. Set aside for 15 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil in a large, wide pot over medium heat. Cook the onion, tomato and bell pepper for 5 minutes, until softened.
- Add the chayote, carrot, cabbage, water and remaining salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 12 minutes, until the vegetables are almost tender.
- Nestle the fish into the pot with its marinade and spoon some broth over it. Cover and simmer gently for 10 to 12 minutes, until the fish flakes easily.
- Add the eggs to warm through for 2 minutes, then scatter with the cilantro and scallions. Serve in wide bowls with plenty of broth.
Notes
Nutrition
About This Dish
Ceará's coast is famous for its jangadas, traditional sailing rafts that fishermen have long used to go out to sea from the beaches. Peixada is a classic of the beachfront restaurants of Fortaleza, the state capital. Cooks traditionally reserve some of the broth to make pirão, a thick, savory porridge of broth and manioc flour. The vegetables and whole eggs make it a complete meal from one pot. Cilantro and scallion together are known in Brazil as cheiro-verde, the green herb bundle sold at every market.
Pairs Well With
- Brazilian Salada de Palmito, Hearts of Palm Salad with Tomato and Lime
- Brazilian Salpicão de Frango, Holiday Chicken Salad
This recipe is from The Ultimate Brazilian Keto Cookbook by Gisele Costello, Chapter 7: Seafood (Pelourinho). See all Brazilian recipes