🇸🇹 Sao Tomean Cuisine

Moqueca Santomense

Island Fish Stew

Prep Time 20 min

Servings 4

Difficulty Medium

Calories 414 kcal

A fragrant stew of firm white fish simmered in coconut milk, tomatoes, onions, and palm oil with cilantro and lime — a distinctly Sao Tomean take on the Luso-African fish stew.

Ingredients

800g firm white fish fillets, cubed
400ml coconut milk
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp palm oil
Juice of 2 limes
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 malagueta pepper
Salt and pepper

Instructions

1 Season fish with lime juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Rest 15 min.
2 Heat palm oil in a deep skillet. Saute onions until softened, about 5 min.
3 Add tomatoes and malagueta pepper. Cook 8 min until tomatoes break down.
4 Pour in coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer.
5 Nestle fish pieces into the sauce. Cover and simmer 12-15 min until fish is cooked through.
6 Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve over coconut rice.

Did You Know?

Unlike the Brazilian moqueca, the Sao Tomean version uses significantly more palm oil, giving the broth a deep orange color that locals consider the mark of authenticity.