By Lindenberg Junior
One day during the winter here in California, I closed my eyes and transported myself to some of my favorite fishing places in Brazil for a great seafood. I imagined myself in Porto de Galinhas (60 km south from Recife, the city where I was born), a small beach town and traditional travel destination. Returning to my reality, I got the car keys and drove to a nearby market to buy the ingredients to make something that I was missing a lot: a “sinfonia maritima” (maritime symphony). This robust Brazilian seafood stew it’s a whole meal in a bowl. If you would like to make it a bit Portuguese, add halved hard-cooked eggs on the top when be ready to serve.
Ingredients (serves 6):
4 teaspoons of unsalted butter, 1 large onion quartered and sliced, 4 cloves of chopped garlic, 2 green bell peppers seeded and diced, 2 medium carrots peeled and diced (or sliced), 1 peeled and diced chayote, 1 zucchini cut into ¾ inch dice, 4 peeled and seeded tomatoes chopped, 2 teaspoons of mild paprika, ½ teaspoon of dry oregano, 4 cups of fish stock, 12 red tiny new potatoes, salt and black pepper to taste, 1 lb of firm white-fleshed fish fillets (like halibut), 12 oz of cleaned squid cut into rings, 1 lb of peeled and deveined shrimp, 1 lb of mussels, ¼ cup of sliced scallion greens, ½ cup of minced Italian parsley, and 3 hard-cooked eggs halved (optional).
How to make:
1) In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, peppers and cook for 4 min or until softened the onion wilts. Add the carrots, chayote, and zucchini; cover, cook over low heat for 5 min.
2) Stir in the tomatoes, and cook until reduced to a puree, about 7 min. Stir paprika and oregano. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Add the potatoes, salt and pepper to taste, and cook, uncovered, over low heat, until potatoes and chayote are tender, about 15 min.
3) While the liquid is cooking, place the fish, squid, shrimp, and mussels in separated bowls. Rub each with salt and pepper, and toss each 1 tbs of lemon juice.4) Add the fish and the mussels to the liquid and cook for 5 min, until opaque. Add the shrimp and the squid and cook until just tender, about 2 min. Do not overcook. Adjust the seasoning and add the scallions, parsley, and additional lemon juice, to taste.5) Ladle the stew into bowls, garnish with a bit of parsley or hard-cooked egg (*Portuguese style) and serve.
Bon appetite!
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