Brazilian Seafood Vatapa

I do love a Brazilian; well kept, directive, hygienic, hard working, great sense of humour, a love of psy trance, and now thanks to untapped natural resources and all the above it's a pretty good place to be drilling for the crude.

In 2007 I found myself upon Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro buying the country’s flagship tipple the Caipirinha, for 4 Brazilian reais, which at the time equated to just under a pound for a fairly healthy slug of rum that would get you whistling. Four years came to pass and once again I was lying, suggestively perhaps, on the very same beach sipping from the same Brazilian cup, staring out at the same iconic view surrounded by the same humbling physiques, but something had changed. After a short period of mulling it hit me right in the groin; inflation.

Whilst the rest of the world has been nose diving into the worst recession in decades, Brazil has been steadily growing into one of the world’s fastest developing economies, a brick state in an otherwise faltering fiscal environment. Great for the Brazilians but not for the discerning/tight fisted and frugal traveller hoping for a cheap ride; my 2011 Caipirinha came in at almost double the cost of the previous one that I’d ingested only four years earlier.

I’m not here to moan about money, lord know there’s enough of that going on at the moment without me adding to the mix, and although the prices over there are rising they still don’t hold a candle to the cost of a pint in London at the moment (maybe a little moan). I walked into the Earl of Lonsdale last week, a Sam Smiths pub and subsequently the cheapest option in town for beers, to be met with the new price of £3.05, up from the £2.45 I’d paid there a couple of weeks earlier. An outrage, it would almost be cheaper to get pissed on Petrol, although from experience I can tell you that’s not a good idea; not a ‘Withnail and I’ moment I hasten to add, I simply misjudged the ferocity with which to suck on the hosepipe whilst attempting to siphon fuel from my Dad’s tank in order to get to a party a few years ago. Desperate times.

I would like to suggest then, that if you find yourself bent over your flower bed regurgitating any form of distilled fossil fuel after a last ditch attempt to get to a party to drown your sorrows, don’t go. Save the fuel, sell it, along with whatever belongings and dignity you have left, and make for Brazil, the promised land, where you will find beaches paved with sand and bodies paved with gold, more petrol than you could dream of swallowing and an economy booming like a bass bin. Live vicariously, if only for a week or two, I guarantee it’ll put a smile back on your face.

To this and that end, check out my first officially published article in the next edition of ‘Eat Me Magazine’, a city experience of Rio de Janeiro, available in selected W H Smith stores, a number of points of transit, and the big wide web. 

Ingredients: (Serves 6)

20 uncooked king prawns, shells still on

10 Madagascan crevettes, shells still on

500g mussels, de-bearded

110ml coconut milk

70ml coconut cream

440ml fresh fish stock

Chilli oil

1 large white cooking onion, roughly chopped

2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped

30g fresh root ginger, grated

3 large red chillies, seeded and roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon palm sugar

50ml palm oil

Juice of 1 lime

70g roasted peanuts, grinded into powder

60g cashew nuts, grinded into powder

140g fresh white breadcrumbs

Rice for ya plates

Freshly chopped coriander to garnish

Method:

1. Mix the coconut milk and breadcrumbs together in a bowl, set aside and allow to soak for 20 minutes to half an hour before blending it into a smooth paste.

2. Whilst the breadcrumbs are soaking shell the prawns and crevettes and boil the shells in the fish stock, along with the tomatoes, turn the heat down to low and simmer for half an hour. When this is done grab a sieve and strain the liquid into another bowl taking care to push out as much juice from the tomatoes and shells, chuck them away and keep the fishy tomato broth.

3. In a large pan add an inch of water and bring to the boil, throw in the mussels and cover, steam them for a few minutes until they open up, make sure to throw away any that haven’t and put the pan of mussels to one side.

4. In a skillet boil the chopped onion in an inch or so of water till it softens, drain it and chuck it in a food processor along with the chopped chilli. In the same skillet heat a slug of chilli oil and add the blended mixture back into the pan with the palm oil, turn the heat down low and cook for 5 minutes before slamming in the ginger and garlic and cooking for another 3 minutes. Now stir in the finely ground peanuts and cashews and cook for another minute or so.

5. Add the breadcrumb/coconut mix along with the fishy broth and stir well, bringing it to the boil before turning the heat down once more and reducing the liquid to a thick smooth consistency, a bit like your morning oats. Now chuck in the prawns, coconut cream and lime juice and cook for another few minutes till they change from grey to pink, when this happens add the mussels as well. Some in the their shells and others out to give it a nice look whilst avoiding being to shell heavy and frankly annoying to eat.

6. Rice on a plate, bit of coriander, and you’ve got a very tasty supper.

Obviously this one contains nuts and shellfish so be warned.