Moqueca Baiana (Bahian Seafood Stew)

In a bowl, toss the shrimp and fish chunks with the lime juice, minced garlic and 5g salt. Cover and leave in the fridge for 15 minutes while you cut the vegetables.

💡 This quick lime cure firms the seafood and lifts any 'off' smell. Don't push past 20 minutes — the acid will start to 'cook' the shrimp like a ceviche and turn it rubbery in the pot.

Slice the onion into thin rings, the tomatoes into rounds and both peppers into strips. Chop the coriander, keeping the stems and leaves in separate piles.

Choose a wide, heavy pot or clay panela. Pour in the olive oil and spread half the onion rings across the base over low heat.

💡 Moqueca is built in layers, not stirred. A wide pot lets every piece sit in one shallow layer so nothing steams into mush.

Layer on half the tomato rounds, half the pepper strips and a scatter of coriander stems. Lay the seafood on top in a single layer.

Cover with the rest of the onion, tomato and peppers, so the seafood is sandwiched between vegetable layers.

Pour the coconut milk evenly over everything. Do not add water — the vegetables and coconut milk make their own broth.

💡 Beginner's worry: 'there isn't enough liquid.' Trust it — tomatoes and onion release a lot of water as they soften. Adding water now gives you a pale, watery stew.

Set the lid on, bring to a boil over medium-high, then drop to a gentle simmer. Cook 12–15 minutes, until the fish flakes and the shrimp are pink and curled.

Lift the lid and drizzle the dendê palm oil over the surface. Tilt and swirl the pot gently instead of stirring so the oil streaks orange through the broth.

💡 Dendê goes in at the end, not the start — long boiling turns its fresh, nutty flavour flat and greasy. A minute of warming is all it needs.

Add the optional sliced chili now if using, and let it warm through for 1 minute.

Taste the broth and adjust with a little more salt or a squeeze of lime.

Turn off the heat and scatter the coriander leaves over the top.

Serve straight from the pot with white rice and, if you have it, a spoonful of farofa on the side to soak up the broth.