Being a massive football fan, I thought this would be a great time to create a Brazilian dish, with the World Cup less than 2 weeks away! So I chose to make Vatapa de Peixe e Camarao (Fish & Shrimp Stew). 

A wonderful dish packed with fragrant flavours and a mixture of beautiful textures. Enjoy!

INGREDIANTS


- 1 cup of dried shrimp
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 1/2 cup ground, toasted cashew nuts
- 1/2 cup ground, toasted blanched almonds
- 4 cloves of minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon of ginger
- 1 red chilli pepper (chopped finely and de-seeded)
- 4 cups of fish stock
- 1 can of coconut milk
- juice of 1 lime
- 2 sea bass fillets (cut into small pieces)
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
- 1/2 cup chopped coriander
- 1 lime, cut into wedges (for decoration)
- 1 cup of long grain white rice

METHOD

1.) Soak your dried shrimps in warm water and cover for about 15 minutes. Drain them, then add them to a blender or food processor. Create a paste from your shrimps.

2.) In a small frying pan, gently roast your cashews and almonds for about 5 minutes on a medium heat, remove from heat.

3.) Add the olive oil to a large pan or skillet on a medium heat. Add the onions and leave them to soften for about 5 minutes.

4.) Now add your blended shrimp mixture to the pan and stir well for a couple of minutes.

5.) Add the garlic, chilli, ginger and already roasted cashews and almonds - stir for around 5 minutes until all ingredients are well mixed.

6.) Now add your fish stock, coconut milk and lime juice. Stir quickly and then cover your pan. Leave mixture to simmer for around 25 minutes on a medium-high heat (or until mixture begins to thicken)

TIP: If mixture doesn't thicken, turn the heat up and add some cornflour mix and stir well for it to thicken quicker.

7.) Whilst your ingredients simmer, boil your rice in a pan for around 15 minutes.

8.) Once your delicious stock begins to bubble heavily and has more substance, add the sea bass and leave it to poach in the mixture for around 8 minutes. Now season with salt and pepper.

 9.) To finish, add your chopped coriander and stir into the mix. Decorate with a lime wedge and a small sprinkle of coriander.