Brazilian recipe
Traditional Creamy Seafood Stew with Shrimp (Vatapá cremoso)
A luxurious Brazilian seafood stew enriched with dried shrimp, tender white fish, roasted nuts, coconut milk, and vibrant dendê oil.
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Ingredients
70g smoked dried shrimp
250g white fish steaks
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 onion, sliced into rings
1 skinned tomato, diced
1/2 cup chopped green sweet pepper
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp red pepper flakes
20 ml lime juice
3 tbsp dendê oil
1/2 cup roasted cashew nuts
1/2 cup shelled roasted peanuts
1 tsp grated ginger
2 slices crustless white bread, soaked
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
250g white fish steaks
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 onion, sliced into rings
1 skinned tomato, diced
1/2 cup chopped green sweet pepper
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp red pepper flakes
20 ml lime juice
3 tbsp dendê oil
1/2 cup roasted cashew nuts
1/2 cup shelled roasted peanuts
1 tsp grated ginger
2 slices crustless white bread, soaked
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
Where to find ingredients
Smoked dried shrimp, peanuts, coconut milk, and fresh white fish are readily available across local Trinidadian supermarkets such as Massy Stores or Tru Valu, as well as municipal fish markets. Authentic dendê oil (red palm oil) can be sourced from specialty West African or Latin food importers in Port of Spain; red palm oil serves as the ideal direct match.
Preparation method
- Soak the dried shrimp in water until desalted.
- Roast the peanuts and remove the skins.
- Season the fish steaks with salt and black pepper and set aside.
- In a pot, heat half of the dendê oil and sauté the onion, tomato, ground coriander, and green sweet pepper.
- Arrange the fish steaks over the sautéed base.
- Cook for about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle with the red pepper flakes.
- Drizzle over the lime juice and the remaining dendê oil.
- Cover the pot, place over medium heat, and cook until the fish is tender.
- Remove the fish from the sauce and flake it into small pieces, reserving the sauce.
- In a blender or food processor, add the drained dried shrimp, cashew nuts, roasted peanuts, grated ginger, soaked bread, coconut milk, and water.
- Blend the mixture until it forms a smooth paste with a light texture, taking care not to over-grind.
- Gently stir the blended paste into the reserved sauce in the pot.
- Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until reaching the characteristic creamy consistency of vatapá.
- Fold the reserved fish pieces into the mixture.
- Adjust salt and black pepper to taste, if needed.
- Serve hot.
Observations
Vatapá stands as one of the most celebrated culinary treasures of Afro-Brazilian culture, particularly in the state of Bahia. Renowned for its velvety texture and deeply layered flavour profile, this dish blends soaked bread, coconut milk, dendê oil, and aromatic spices into a silky base. Enriched with dried smoked shrimp and poached white fish, it offers a comforting yet complex dining experience. It is traditionally served alongside acarajé or as a centerpiece for festive gatherings across Brazil.
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