Recipe: Muqueca (Brazilian Fish Stew)
Only in our senior year did we venture off campus, and only then did we come upon Muqueca, a hole-in-the-wall with plastic furniture that served cheap, flavorful, and filling meals. This eponymous stew, for which the restaurant was named, was one of our favorites.
Serves 6
• 2 onions, cut into ¼ inch dice
• 3 peppers (one green, one red, one yellow), seeded and cut into ¼ inch dice
• 6 plum tomatoes, cut into ¼ inch dice
• 2 Serrano chilies
• 1 quart fish stock
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 3 pounds seafood (mixture of shrimp, flaky white fish like cod or monkfish, scallops, etc., your choice)
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• ¾ cup white wine
• juice of one lime
In a heavy pot, heat olive oil and sweat onions and peppers until the peppers are soft and the onions are translucent (approximately eight minutes). Add tomatoes and chilies, and season generously. Cook another 10 minutes. Add wine and reduce by about half.
Add fish stock and coconut milk and simmer for 15 minutes. Add fish, and cover until cooked through (about seven minutes—this doesn't take that much time).
Add lime and cilantro and taste for seasoning, and serve over rice.