MOQUECA MISTA - BRAZILIAN SEAFOOD STEW

 This is an adaptation of Moqueca Mista, a seafood stew from a region in Brazil, from Executive Chef Herb Wilson of Sushi Samba.  It all starts with dende oil which, according to Chef Wilson, is the sole of the dish. Dende oil is a bright orange palm oil and a staple in Brazilian cuisine. Although his sauce included okra and nuts, I omitted both.  Also, I "cheated" and used purchased sofrito in lieu of making my own from scratch.  However, I did have home-made lobster stock in the freezer.   I also used more mussels and fish and added some red chili flakes since I wanted a little more heat.  For the side dish, I steamed jasmine rice in the rice cooker with some chimicurirri seasoning (parsley, garlic, oregano, cilantro, thyme, bay leaves).   

Sauce:
2 1/2 tablespoons dende oil
1/2 cup sofrito
5 cloves of garlic, sliced (about 1/4 cup)
1 1/2 cups lobster stock
1 1/2 cups coconut milk, unsweetened
Pink salt, to taste
1/8 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
Lime wedges, for garnish

Seafood:

3ounces of calamari, sliced
8 ounces of cod, cut into 2" pieces
1 pound of Prince Edward Island mussels
6 Littleneck clams
6 pieces of shrimps, U-10

Rice:

2 cups steamed jasmine rice with chimichurri seasoning

In a very large sauté pan or Dutch oven, heat dendê oil. Add sofrito and sliced garlic, and stir for about 2-3 minutes. Add the lobster stock and coconut milk.  Reduce for about two minutes, and then add the calamari, cod, mussels and clams.  Shake pot until shellfish opens and calamari is cooked, about 5-6 minutes.  Add pink salt, red chili flakes, and fresh lime juice.

Separately, cook the shrimps in a lightly-oiled pan until pink on both sides, about 3-4 minutes, total.

Add cooked shrimps and parsley to seafood pot.  Garnish with lime wedges.

For rice:
Mix rice with chimichurri seasoning and cook in rice cooker.  

Spoon Moqueca over rice or serve rice as a side.