Here in Brazil, as the vast majority of the population is Christian, there is a great culture for Holy Week, and on Good Friday it is customary to avoid eating meat. For this reason, the greatest consumption is fish, especially cod, which is very expensive at this time of year.
So, why not make your meal on the 22nd with another type of fish? How about the fish? It's nutritious and costs less than ten reais per kilo. It's worth saving.
HOW TO CHOOSE FISH?
– First of all, when fish is sold fresh, observe refrigeration. The fish must be covered in ice, in the proportion of at least one part of ice to one part of fish.
– When fish is sold frozen, be careful! Many traders use bad faith and freeze the fish with water to increase its weight when selling.
– To check whether the fish fillet is fresh or not, press it. If the finger mark remains and takes a while to return to normal, it's not good.
– If the fish is whole, pay attention to other details. The scales must be firm and not come off easily, the gills must be bright red or slightly darkened and the eyes must cover the entire orbit, they cannot be whitish.
REVENUES
Paying attention to these guidelines for purchasing hake, below is a recipe for White Hake Moqueca with Coconut Rice and Pirão for your holiday.
IMPORTANT: THESE RECIPES SERVES 2 PEOPLE. IF YOUR FAMILY IS BIGGER, MULTIPLY THE RECIPES.
STEW
Ingredients:
- 600 ml coconut milk (1 large bottle)
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small bunch of chopped chives
- 2 large fish fillets (400 g) of white hake
- 1 medium onion cut into slices
- 1 medium green pepper cut into slices
- 1 teaspoon chopped chili or chili pepper
Method of preparation:
Use a clay pot (if you don't have one, use a pot that can go on the table). Place the pan over medium heat. When it is very hot, add the coconut milk, tomato paste, olive oil and chives. When it boils, add the fish slices, sliced onion and green pepper. Let it cook for 20 to 30 minutes with the pan covered. Right after this step, add the chopped pepper. Serve immediately accompanied by pirão made with your own broth and coconut rice.
PIRÃO
Ingredients:
- 1 and ½ ripe tomatoes
- 1 medium onion
- ½ green pepper
- 150 ml of water
- 2 crushed garlic cloves
- Black pepper to taste
- 25 ml olive oil
- Juice of 1 and ½ lemons
- Paprika or annatto to taste
- 1 tablespoon coriander
- 1 tablespoon of chives
- Salt to taste
- 125 ml moqueca broth
- ½ cup (tea) cassava flour
Method of preparation:
Blend the tomatoes, onion, pepper and water in a blender. In a pan, add the blended sauce, add the garlic, black pepper, olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, coriander, chives and broth, add salt, stir and heat until it rises. boil. Add the flour little by little, stirring constantly until it no longer sticks to the bottom of the pan (don't let it get thick).
COCONUT RICE
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup (tea) oil
- 2 crushed garlic cloves
- 1 chopped onion
- 2 cups of rice, washed and drained
- 1 glass of coconut milk (200 ml)
- water (enough to cover the rice)
- salt to taste
Method of preparation:
In a pan over medium heat, add the oil, sauté the garlic and onion. Add the washed and drained rice. Sauté well to make it flavorful. Add the coconut milk, water and salt and let it cook.
NOTE: This rice goes well with fish, moqueca and shrimp.
Recipes adapted from the Mais Você program website:
http://www.receitas.com/maisvoce
Sources consulted for the text: