This Brazilian fish stew has earthy spices and sweet creaminess from coconut milk - perfect to warm you for a cold winter night. Smarts: Fish cooks quickly so perfect for a quick soup!
Rice - This makes enough for Wednesday night’s dinner. For white rice, rinse until clear. Fill a saucepan or Dutch oven (or rice cooker) with rice, water (use 2:1 ratio for water to rice), and some salt. Cover with lid and bring to a boil. Once water boils, stir, lower heat to a low-medium, and cover. Check white rice after ~20 min; brown at ~45 min. Rice is done when it's absorbed all the water. If it's not done, leave the cover on until all water has been absorbed. Take cover off to release steam and fluff with a wooden spoon after 5 minutes. Reserve half for Wednesday's dinner. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Garlic / Onions / Peppers - Prep as directed. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add cooking oil and then garlic, onions, peppers, paprika, and chili powder to heated oil with a dash of salt. Saute until onions and peppers start to soften, ~3 minutes.
Next add in tomatoes, coconut milk, stock, and salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for ~5 minutes.
Fold in fish and simmer for another 5 minutes. Move pot off of heat. Finish with lemon juice and season to taste with salt, pepper, or more spices. You can spoon rice into stew or spoon the stew over rice - your choice! (Remember to save half the rice for Wednesday's dinner)
Made version for 8; tripled spices and added coriander, which put it just at the edge of too spicy; soaked spices in oil at 200° before starting sauté. Held off adding stock until the end and then only added what was needed. Overall very pleased.
First recipe on CS I haven't loved. To be fair I'm new to cooking with fish and very picky about its taste and texture, but my husband loves fish and didn't care for it either.