Moqueca

Moqueca is a Bahian fish stew simmered in coconut milk, dendê palm oil, tomatoes, onion and peppers, and brought to the table still bubbling in the clay pot it was cooked in. This is moqueca baiana — Bahia's version, built on ingredients and technique with roots in West African cooking brought to Salvador by enslaved people, and the one most guests mean when they order "moqueca." A second, older version made without coconut milk or dendê exists further south in Espírito Santo; the two share a name and a shape, not much else.

What it really is

Firm white fish fillets go into the clay pot in layers with sliced onion, tomato and bell pepper, then simmer gently in coconut milk coloured deep orange by dendê oil, finished with coriander and a squeeze of lime. The pot itself matters: a panela de barro holds and releases heat slowly enough that the fish poaches rather than boils apart, and restaurants that skip it lose real texture, not just presentation.

Dendê oil is what makes it moqueca baiana rather than any other fish stew. It's pressed from a West African palm, carries a nutty, slightly smoky flavour no other oil replicates, and its absence is exactly what separates the Bahian dish from its Espírito Santo cousin — leaving it out isn't a lighter version, it's a different dish.

How it's served

• Straight from the clay pot, still simmering, at the table.
• With white rice and pirão — a thick porridge made from the cooking broth and cassava flour — on the side.
• As a shared main course, portioned for two or more.

How to write it on the menu

• Specify "moqueca baiana" if the kitchen also runs a lighter, olive-oil version, so regulars know which one they're getting.
• Flag the fish and note if shrimp is added, since many kitchens serve a mixed version that also carries crustaceans.
• Mention the clay pot if it's part of the presentation — it's a genuine point of difference, not a styling choice.