Moqueca with Cashew Coconut Rice

David Prince for Elle Decor

from Daniel Boulud

submitted by Julie Christensen

preparation time: 90 minutes

serves 6

For the moqueca:

5 tablespoons dendé oil (palm oil)

1 inch piece of ginger, grated

6 garlic cloves, 2 grated and 4 minced

1 small Fresno chili, thinly sliced (when I can’t find one, I add a bit of Sriracha)

1 bunch cilantro, stems reserved, leaves roughly chopped

½ pound shrimp, shelled and deveined

1½ pounds tilapia (Boulud calls for monkfish, I prefer tilapia – holds up perfectly) cut into 1” cubes

½ pound squid, cleaned and rinsed, body cut into ½ inch rings

3 tablespoons butter

1 red onion, thinly sliced

4 red and yellow bell peppers, seeded and cut into ½ inch wide strips

salt and ground white pepper

¼ cup white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons flour

1 15 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk

2 large beefsteak tomatoes, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped

3  5-inch stalks of hearts of palm, thinly sliced

2 limes, 1 juiced, 1 cut into wedges for garnish

For the cashew rice:

2 tablespoons olive oil

¾ cup chopped unsalted cashews

ground white pepper

¾ cup toasted coconut flakes

1 cup basmati rice, cooked

For the moqueca: Combine the dendé oil, ginger, grated garlic, Fresno chili, and half of the chopped cilantro leaves and mix well. Add the shrimp, tilapia and squid and mix gently until the seafood is well coated. Marinate for 30 minutes.

In a 5-quart braising pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, then add the minced garlic and bell peppers. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes. Add the vinegar and continue cooking until it is reduced, and the pan is nearly dry. Add flour and cook for 5 minutes. Add coconut milk and chopped tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Season with salt. Tie the cilantro stems together with twine and add to the stew. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the marinated seafood, stir and reduce the heat to very low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, until the seafood is gently poached. Remove the cilantro stems. Add the hearts of palm and lime juice, and taste for seasoning. Serve over cashew rice garnished with the reserved chopped cilantro and lime wedges.

For the rice: heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, add the cashews and cook, stirring, until toasted and fragrant. Add the cooked rice and stir to combine. Season with salt and white pepper. Toss in the toasted coconut. Serve hot.

Some of my favorite new recipes this year were from Daniel Boulud. This one, his take on a Brazilian Bahian seafood stew, is just the best ever. Cioppino doesn’t stand a chance against the moqueca’s coconut/lime/ginger/chili wonderfulness. The recipe is full of treasure hunt-like ingredients and it is complicated – but not difficult. Summon up your kitchen zen on a long, lazy, quiet afternoon, go calmly through the steps and then prepare for an outpouring of pleasure and gratitude. The moqueca is a labor of love but, like many such labors, so worth it.