Brazilian Style Fish Stew

Typically, when we buy fish, we tend to make the same three meals over and over again: fish fried rice, fried fish, or breaded and flavored fish with vegetables. It doesn't matter what kind of fish it is, they always end up in one of these three entrees. So, we decided to try something different when we got a great deal for a big bag of small Tilapia fillets. And, what do you do when you want to try a new recipe? You go to Pinterest. As we were scrolling down, we found this very unique looking recipe and wanted to make a creation based on it.

** Original idea --> Brazilian Fish Stew **

But, since knowing it was Brazilian, and knowing it would be soupy, I adjusted to kind of dilute the same amount of spices (to make it palatable for me) and make it a thicker stew. (Although Justin would've preferred it to be more soupy with more spices.)

Ingredients

3-4 Tilapia fillets

5 tbsp lime juice

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 1/2 tbsp cumin

1 1/2 tbsp paprika

2 tbsp garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp pepper

1 small onion

3 medium to large bell peppers (we used 2 medium green and 1 large red)

1 (14 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes

1 3/4 - 2 cups of almond milk (depending on how soupy you want it)

1-2 cups of cooked orzo (depending on how stew-y you want it)

2 tbsp cilantro

Directions

1) Cute the Tilapia into chunks. In a bowl, mix the lemon and lime juices with the cumin, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Marinate the Tilapia in the mix. Put in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

2) Chop up the vegetables. In a small frying pan, saute the onions until they get soft and a little golden-brown. Add in the peppers for about 3-5 minutes.

3) In a stew pot, pour the softly sauteed vegetables, the marinated fish, and the rest of the ingredients (don't drain the tomatoes). Cook on medium high for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4) Stir cilantro, lower the heat to medium-low, and continue to cook and occasionally stir for about 10 minutes. The fish will cook thoroughly in the stew. 

4) Top with some sour cream, squeezed lime juice or lime wedges, and cilantro according to taste.

Again, make soupy or stew-y according to your preference. I liked the idea of orzo in it to give it body and soak in some of the spice and liquid. But, like I mentioned, Justin would've preferred it without the orzo and a bit more soupy. But, it was a really nice taste! I liked it a lot!

Have you ever made any type of Brazilian food? Have you ever made fish into a soup or stew?