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Vatapá is a rich, golden cream of coconut milk, ground nuts, dried shrimp and ginger, finished with dendê oil and plenty of fresh shrimp. Baianas spoon it into split acarajé fritters, and families serve it as a main course with rice. This version thickens the cream with almond flour instead of bread.
Per serving: 377 calories · 6.3 g net carbs · 26 g protein · 29 g fat (calculated from the ingredients)
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
- 1 pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1/2 cup dried shrimp rinsed
- 1 can (13.5 ounces) full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
- 2 tablespoons roasted unsalted cashews
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 small tomato chopped
- 3 tablespoons dendê (red palm) oil divided
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the dried shrimp, peanuts, cashews, ginger, onion, garlic and tomato with the water. Blend until as smooth as possible.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the dendê oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Pour in the blended mixture and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until fragrant.
- Whisk the almond flour into the coconut milk, then pour it into the pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 10 to 12 minutes, until the vatapá is thick enough to hold a trail when you draw the spoon across the bottom.
- Stir in the fresh shrimp and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until pink and cooked through.
- Turn off the heat, stir in the remaining dendê oil and the cilantro, and taste for salt. Dried shrimp is salty, so you may need very little. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
About This Dish
Vatapá is one of the classic fillings of acarajé, the black-eyed pea fritters fried in dendê by the baianas of Salvador, along with caruru and shrimp. In Bahia it is also served on its own as part of big festive meals. The northern state of Pará has its own vatapá, which is part of the traditional lunch eaten during the Círio de Nazaré festival in Belém. Dried shrimp, ground nuts and ginger reflect the West African roots of Bahian cooking. Recipes vary from family to family, and many cooks guard their own balance of peanuts and cashews.
Pairs Well With
- Brazilian Salada de Chuchu, Chilled Chayote Salad with Tomato
- Brazilian Salada de Repolho, Cabbage and Carrot Slaw with Lime
This recipe is from The Ultimate Brazilian Keto Cookbook by Gisele Costello, Chapter 7: Seafood (Pelourinho). See all Brazilian recipes