8 servings
PREP TIME
35 minutes
COOKING TIME
1 hour
TOTAL TIME
1 hour 35 minutes
1 cup baby spinach
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups diced carrots
½ cup diced onion
½ cup diced celery
½ cup diced yucca
¼ cup chopped garlic
1 poblano pepper, diced
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
1 red Thai chile, seeded and diced
1 cup sliced okra
kosher salt
½ cup green curry paste
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 (15-ounce) can unsweetenedcoconut milk
4 cups chicken stock
freshly ground black pepper
½ cup chopped smoked salmon
8 ounces cod, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 large prawns
4 cups steamed rice
Brazil has its own take on gumbo. It’s called moqueca: a savory fish stew served over rice. You can begin with our recipe, but what I’ve outlined here is just a template. Make this recipe your own by adding the things you love. We suggest salt cod and salmon, but if you love prawns, then throw those in. This recipe calls for yucca, but it will taste just as good with diced sweet potatoes. The secret to the bold flavor profile is the broth: green curry, tomato sauce, fish paste, coconut milk, chicken stock. Where you take things from there is up to you.
In a blender, puree the spinach with 2 tablespoons water until smooth. Transfer to an airtight container and chill until ready to use.
In an 8-quart pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat and sauté all the chopped vegetables until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add a pinch of salt halfway through sautéing.
Whisk in the curry paste and tomato paste and cook over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Make sure to continually whisk the sauce to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Once the sauce becomes fragrant, slowly whisk in the fish sauce, coconut milk, and stock. Simmer over medium heat and occasionally stir until the broth begins to thicken and reduce, 30 to 45 minutes.
Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Just before serving, add the spinach puree, smoked salmon, cod, and prawns. Gently simmer until the fish is cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes. Make sure to leave the fish in as large of pieces as possible by not overstirring.
Serve over rice.