Another Delicious Brazilian Tradition: "Moqueca de Peixe" (Fish Stew)

Here's another delicious, creamy, authentic Brazilian dish that is pretty easy to make and can be prepared in about 45 minutes. Moqueca de Peixe (fish stew) is a frequent favorite meal in northeastern Brazil, where I lived most of my life. Moqueca is usually made with onions, green and red peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic, and we usually serve it with rice. It's prepared with coconut milk and an oil called "oleo de dende" (palm oil). Dende oil really adds a special afro-brazilian flavor to the fish stew; however, dende oil is hard to find in the US (unless you live in Miami, Boston, or Dallas), so I have been using olive oil as a replacement.
Here's the recipe:
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/5 lbs fish filets (I use tilapia), cut in cubes
• Fish seasoning (I like Weber Zesty Lemon)
• Juice of one lemon
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tomatoes, diced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 3-4 chopped green onions
• 1 bunch chopped cilantro
• 3 Tbsp palm or olive oil
• 3 cups coconut milk
• *For the rice recipe, please check out my "Hungry For Brazilian Food?" Post

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

• Marinate the fish filets with fish seasoning and lemon juice for about 20-30 minutes.
• In a cooking pot, add the olive oil and saute garlic, tomatoes, onion, red and green peppers, green onions, and cilantro for about 3 minutes (medium heat). Add fish and saute for an extra 2 minutes.
• Add coconut milk and cook for about 20 minutes on low heat or until fish is cooked.
• Serve on top of rice.
• Go for seconds! :)