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Moqueca baiana is the dish that tastes most like Salvador: chunks of firm white fish simmered with peppers, tomatoes and onions in coconut milk, turned golden-orange with a swirl of dendê oil. It comes to the table bubbling in its pot, perfumed with cilantro and lime. It is naturally low in carbs, so only the rice on the side needs a swap.
Per serving: 324 calories · 7 g net carbs · 29 g protein · 20 g fat (calculated from the ingredients)
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
- 2 pounds firm white fish fillets (snapper cod, halibut or grouper), cut into large chunks
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt divided
- 1 medium onion sliced into thin rings
- 1 red bell pepper sliced into rings
- 1 small green bell pepper sliced into rings
- 3 medium tomatoes sliced into rounds
- 1 can (13.5 ounces) full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons dendê (red palm) oil
- 1 fresh malagueta or other small hot chili minced (optional)
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro divided
Instructions
- Toss the fish with the lime juice, garlic and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- In a wide, heavy pot or clay pan, make a layer with half of the onion, red and green pepper and tomato slices. Lay the fish on top in a single layer, pouring over any marinade, and sprinkle with half of the cilantro.
- Cover the fish with the remaining onion, peppers and tomatoes. Sprinkle with the remaining salt and the chili, if using.
- Pour the coconut milk evenly over everything. Cover the pot and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then lower the heat and cook for 15 minutes without stirring.
- Drizzle the dendê oil over the stew and gently shake the pot so it blends into the broth. Simmer uncovered for 5 more minutes, until the fish flakes easily and the sauce is a deep orange.
- Taste the broth and add salt or a squeeze of lime if needed. Scatter with the rest of the cilantro and serve straight from the pot over cauliflower rice.
Notes
Nutrition
About This Dish
Dendê oil is pressed from the fruit of the African oil palm, which was brought to Bahia from West Africa during the colonial era and still grows along the coast south of Salvador. Bahians call dishes cooked with it comida de azeite, food made with oil. Brazilian folklorist Luís da Câmara Cascudo traced the word moqueca to an Indigenous way of cooking fish wrapped in leaves over coals. The Bahian version gained its coconut milk and dendê from African and Portuguese influences. Neighboring Espírito Santo makes its own moqueca without either ingredient, and the two states have argued about whose is better for generations.
Pairs Well With
- Brazilian Vagem Refogada, Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic and Tomato
- Brazilian Jiló Refogado, Sautéed Bitter Garden Eggplant
This recipe is from The Ultimate Brazilian Keto Cookbook by Gisele Costello, Chapter 7: Seafood (Pelourinho). See all Brazilian recipes