This Brazilian coconut shrimp stew is traditionally called moqueca. It can be made with fish or various types of seafood. I decided to try this dish because I loved the look of the creamy coconut with the rich seafood.
In my version I only used shirmp and not multiple types of seafood. This simplified the dish to be something that I could make with mostly pantry staples and frozen shirmp.
I used a combiniation of tomato paste and diced tomatoes to add body and richness to this stew. Most recipe use one or the other, but I liked it better this way.
To save leftover tomato paste, freeze in 1 TBS portions. I use silicon muffin cups or a parchment lined baking sheet, then toss all the little pieces into a zip-top baggie for storage.
Variations to the Brazillian Coconut Shrimp Stew:
- Make it a soup instead of a stew: Add broth and rice to the mixture when you mix in the coconut milk in step 4.
- Budget Friendly: try this dish with an inexpensive white fish such as tilapia.
- Make it spicy: add your favorite kind of fresh chili pepper such as fresno, jalapeno, serrano or habanero when you saute the bell pepper.
Brazilian Coconut Shrimp Stew
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Brazilian
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 2 TBS lemon juice
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tsp each: black pepper, paprika, cumin and salt
- ¼ tsp red pepper flake
- ½ cup minced cilantro
- 15 oz can diced tomatoes (use fresh if they are in season!)
- 2 TBS tomato paste
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup water (more or less to thin)
- 3 cup cooked brown rice
Instructions
- Toss shrimp with lemon juice and set aside to marinade.
- Saute onion and bell pepper in a large skillet with the olive oil until softened to your liking. I usually go for about 10 minutes.
- Add garlic, black pepper, paprika, cumin, salt and red pepper flake and let saute for another 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in cilantro, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, coconut milk and enough water to thin to your liking. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Mix in the shrimp with the lemon juice and cook for 2 minutes, or until the shrimp are opaque.
- Serve over rice.
Recipe adapted from Eating Well.
This was fabulous. I don’t usually write reviews but this is definitely the exception. I added some mushrooms and artichoke heats left over from pizza the night before. Used ramen noodles instead of rice. Sauce was delicious. Would definitely make this for a dinner party next time.
This warms my heart, I love that you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I have made this a few times and just wanted to add a few of my tips. I am cooking for one person so I make the recipe as written up to adding the shrimp. I can then divide into individual portios. When I want for dinner I can take out of freezer, thaw and reheat (not in microwave) when it starts to simmer add shrimp and either turn heat off and cover and let raw shrimp cook in hot sauce or continue cooking until shrimp reach your desired doneness. I have even add frozen shell on shrimp and simmered until pink and done. This is a winner.
Brown rice cooking method of baking rice is also the best method but I prefer white rice.
I love how you adapted the recipe for better meal prep! Thanks for sharing your tips, Carol!
Made this flavorful dish tonight. I did make a few additions that sounded tempting to me. Diced 2 sweet potatoes and sautéed after the onion was transparent. Also used part of a red and yellow pepper instead of green. Sautéed those also adding with sweet potatoes. Added ginger in with the herbs.
Tossed the shrimp with lime instead of lemon. Used a whole can of coconut milk and ditched the tomatoe paste and water. Consistency was creamy and perfect. This dish is light and flavorful! Wonderful, healthy, and colorful! Thanks for the inspiration.
I love the idea to add sweet potato! I’m so glad you made this dish your own. Thanks for letting us know you enjoyed it!