Moqueca de Peixe

Since I have a category titled "Simple One Bowl Meals" it'd be fair to assume that I cook them fairly frequently. I like a lot of one thing rather than small bits of different things (a philosophy that apparently only applies to my culinary habits). I'd guess that I eat 9/10 meals out of a bowl rather than off of a plate. Anyway, here's one to add to the bowl in a meal repertoire for others who like the simplicity of it.

Moqueca de Peixe is a Brazilian take on a fish stew. The Italians like fennel and wine and mussels, the French add the aioli to give it a garlic/mayo kick, and the Brazilians enrich the classic tomato based fish stew with coconut milk, adding a creamy tropical flavour but keeping it light.

My boyfriend comes from a Catholic family and apparently one doesn't eat any sort of flesh from a meat source on Good Friday so I decided given the rain and wind and snowy weather we'd stay in and cook. Brazilian fish stew served on rice with a side of sauteed garlic collard greens and Easter bread for dipping became our menu. Wine was a 2005 Laroche Chablis. Dessert was vanilla ice cream with chopped almonds and maple syrup and a bowl of strawberries and blackberries.

I googled around for a straight forward recipe and ended up with the following from the "Cooking Light" website:

Brazilian Fish Stew (Moqueca de Peixe)
From the state of Bahia in northern Brazil, moqueca de peixe (moo-KAY-ka duh PAY-shuh) is a tropical fish stew fragrant with garlic and peppers, and enriched with coconut milk.

1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1 1/2-pound) sea bass or halibut fillet, cut into 1/2-inch wide strips
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
3/4 cup minced green onions (about 1 bunch)
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
2 cups chopped tomato (about 2 large)
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro, divided
2 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup light coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; toss to coat. Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, bell peppers, green onions, garlic, and bay leaf; cook 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium-high; add tomato, and cook 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup cilantro, clam juice, and broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

Place one-third of vegetable mixture in a blender, and puree until smooth. Pour pureed vegetable mixture into pan. Repeat procedure with remaining vegetable mixture. Add coconut milk and red pepper to pureed vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook 3 minutes. Add fish mixture; cook 3 minutes or until fish is done. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cilantro.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Our amendments and alterations since there were only two of us:
1 lb. white fish - Tilapia
1/2 lb. shrimp
1/2 lb. fresh clams in lieu of clam juice
1/2 green zucchini in lieu of green pepper
1/2 red pepper, chopped, not pureed
1 can of diced tomatoes in addition to 3 small hot house tomatoes chopped
fresh thyme and tarragon as seasoning instead of cilantro
1 cup of water with 1 cube of vegetable bouillon instead of chicken broth

We started cooking just after 7 p.m. and we ate by 8:15 p.m. and the flavours had developed enough in that hour unlike chili where the depth of flavour doesn't truly emerge until 24 hours of evanescing.

This would be a great meal to serve to company - pretty clam shells on a rose coloured stew with hints of coconut, and lime, and homemade bread for dipping. The quality of the fish carries the meal taking a lot of pressure off of the cook!

On a personal note, I can't illuminate enough how lovely a night in with a friend or a loved one can be. On a financial scale, the benefits are so obvious - our Chablis was bought at duty free, the fish at Whole Foods, the tomatoes, fresh herbs, berries, and vegetables from one of my favourite green grocers in the city on the north-east corner of Bloor Street and Manning Ave (across from the large Korean grocery store P.A.T.), 5 bouquets of flowers bought from Av/Dav flower markets, a dress, nylons and high heels and a suit jacket and a freshly shaved chin, jazz music, and Silk Cuts, well, hey, you couldn't pay for that kind of ease and comfort and decadence.