Moqueca de Peixi em Abobora
Bahian Fish Stew Served in a Pumpkin

Yield: 8 portions

Ingredients

Pumpkin

• 1 Pumpkin or calabaza de castilla, 4 lb.
• Salt, to taste

Fresh coconut milk

• 2 Coconuts
• Water, to purée, as needed

Moqueca

• 2 oz. Garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp Kosher salt
• 1 Lime, freshly juiced
• 3 lb. Snook steaks
• 8 oz. Yellow onion, quartered, thinly sliced
• 8 oz. Green bell peppers, quartered, thinly sliced
• 8 oz. Tomatoes, sliced
• 1 cup Cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup Dendê oil
• Fresh coconut milk
• 3 Limes, juiced
• Salt, to taste

Garnishes

• 3/4 cup Cilantro leaves
• Farofa de dendê (recipe follows)
• White Rice

Method

1. For the pumpkin: cut the top off the pumpkin, remove the seeds, and season the cavity with salt to taste. Preheat the oven to 300 ºF and cover the top of the pumpkin with aluminum foil to keep the pumpkin from burning. Cook for 1 1/2 hours and once the pulp is soft, remove the pumpkin from the oven. Carefully scoop 2 cups of pumpkin from the cavity, taking care not to puncture the shell. Reserve.
2. For the coconut milk: Crack open the coconuts, being careful to reserve the water inside. Remove the "meat" and cut it into large dice-like shapes and add it to a blender along with the coconut water. Purée the coconut meat, adding water as necessary to purée. Strain through a chinois, pressing the mixture through with a 2 oz. ladle.
3. Transfer the coconut milk and 2 cups of pumpkin pulp to a blender and process until smooth. Reserve.
4. Make a paste with the minced garlic and salt. Season the fish with the garlic paste, and lime juice.
5. Place a thick clay pot over high-heat for 5 minutes. Immediately add the fish, then a layer of onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes. Drizzle the entire mixture with 1/2 cup of dendê oil followed by the coconut milk and pumpkin mixture.
6. Let the mixture come to a rolling boil and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes. At this point the color of the stew should begin to change colors.
7. Season with lime juice and chopped cilantro.
8. Pour the moqueca into the pumpkin and serve tableside with white rice and farofa de dendê on the side.

Farofa de Dende

Yield: 3 cups

Ingredients

• 3 cups Farinha (manioc flour)
• 1/4 cup Dendê (palm) oil
• Salt, to taste

Method

1. Heat the dendê oil in a sauté pan. Add the manioc flour and stir constantly over medium-low heat.
2. Gently toast the manioc flour for 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt to taste and serve with the moqueca of your choice.