Mahi-Mahi Moqueca

 

Moqueca is a classic Brazilian dish typically made with fish or shrimp cooked in a fragrant sauce of coconut milk along with tomatoes, onions, garlic, cilantro, and bell peppers. This version is based on video post by Mark Drabich owner of Metropolitan Seafood. Like all his entertaining videos he made this dish so appealing that I had to make it myself. The only change I made to his original recipe was to use several different varieties of heirloom peppers, both hot and sweet, from our own garden rather than the jalapeno. This turned out to be one of the best fish dishes I have ever had. The aroma and taste flavors were amazing. 

For the Spice Mix:

 1 teaspoon ground cumin

 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

 1 teaspoon turmeric

 1 teaspoon ground coriander

 ½ teaspoon garlic powder

 1 teaspoon salt

 ½ teaspoon pepper

 

For the Mahi:

 4 Mahi fillets, 6 to 8 ounces each, skinned; you could also use Grouper or Tilefish; something firm

 3  tablespoons of olive oil, divided

 1  medium onion, chopped

 1  jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (I used a combination of sweet Jimmy Nardello, sweet Marconi, hot Buena Mulata, hot Calabrese and sweet Habanada peppers)

 1 tablespoon of finely grated ginger

 4 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced

 10 grape tomatoes chopped

 The finely grated zest of 1 lemon plus the juice

 1 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk

 ¼ cup of fresh chopped cilantro; Don’t like Cilantro? Use parsley, but I might judge you.

 Rice for serving

 Preparation

In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the Spice Mix.

Place the Mahi in a baking pan, pat dry with paper towels, and season both sides with the spice mix; cover the fish with plastic wrap and let it marinate at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, sear the mahi fillets (flesh side down first) for 4 minutes per side, trying to achieve a nice browned color. Transfer the fish to a plate. 

Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and turn the flame down to medium. Add the onion, jalapeno pepper, ginger, garlic, and cook until the onion has softened and is translucent; about 5 minutes. 

Add the tomatoes, lemon zest, lemon juice, and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Cook for 5 more minutes until the tomatoes soften.

Stir in the coconut milk and simmer until the sauce thickens, for another 5 minutes.

Bring the Mahi fillet back to the skillet and cover for 5-6 minutes or until the fish is just opaque when fork tested. 

To serve, transfer the dish to a serving platter and garnish with the chopped cilantro.