Brazilian Fish Soup (Moqueca)

Ingredients:

  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped, divided
  • 1 green onion (white and green parts), chopped, divided
  • 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced, divided
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
  • 6 Tablespoons coconut (or olive) oil, divided
  • 4 Tablespoons chopped cilantro, divided
  • 1¼ pounds cod, cut into bite sized pieces (I buy wild-caught frozen cod at Sam’s)
  • 1-1/3 cups chopped organic bell peppers (red/orange/yellow)
  • 2 cups organic chicken stock or broth
  • 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
  • 2 Tablespoons organic tomato paste
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • ⅓ cup canned or jarred hearts of palm, drained and sliced
  • 2 small Roma tomatoes, seeded, and diced
  • 2 Tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

In a shallow bowl, mix together half of the green onion, half of the yellow onion, half of the ginger, half the cilantro, half of the garlic, and 4 Tablespoons of oil. Add the chunks of fish and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 3 hours.

Minutes prior to cooking, remove the fish from the fridge to let it come to room temperature. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lay out your fish on a large baking sheet and pour the lemon juice on top. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to a large Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the remaining green and yellow onions to the pan along with the bell peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes until softened.

Add the remaining garlic and ginger to the pan and sauté for one minute. Pour in the chicken broth and let it come to a full boil. Add the coconut milk and tomato paste and return to a boil. Immediately lower the heat to medium-low or so and gently simmer the sauce while you prepare the fish.

Place your tray of fish in the oven and bake until the fish is almost but not quite cooked through, 8 to 12 minutes (depending on thickness).

Add the almost-cooked fish and cooking juices into the simmering broth. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the fish is soft and tender, 5 to 7 minutes.

Uncover the pan, add the hearts of palm and tomatoes, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.

Stir in the fish sauce and black pepper, then serve topped with the remaining fresh cilantro.

(This soup takes some time to make, but it’s delicious)