Brazilian prawn coconut stew (moqueca de camarao) is an easy and delicious low-carb recipe that features a unique combination of spices. It's one of the most famous Brazilian foods, and it's super easy to make in just 30 minutes.

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If you're into seafood and bold and bright combinations of spices, you're bound to fall in love with this Brazilian prawn coconut stew.
This is actually one of the tastiest seafood dishes I've ever had, mostly because there's so much flavor packed in it.
Called "moqueca de camarao" in Portuguese, this is a prawn and coconut stew that's very quick to make using very simple ingredients.
As with many recipes of this kind, you'll find lots of variations for moqueca de camarao, but all of them are loaded with prawns, tomatoes, chillies, garlic, coconut milk, and lime juice.
You can make this Brazilian seafood stew as fiery as you want by adjusting the amount of chilli.
I prefer it quite mild, which is why I deseed the chillies before adding them to the stew, but you can leave the seeds in if you want your moqueca to have a bit of a kick.
What prawns work for this stew?
You can use any kind of prawns for this Brazilian stew. Raw prawns should be peeled and deveined before marinating them.
If using frozen prawns, defrost them in the fridge overnight if possible.
Leave the prawns to marinate in a mix of lime juice and garlic for at least 30 minutes (the longer, the better).
If you want your prawns on the spicier side, you can also add some red chilli flakes to the marinade.
Prawns cook very quickly, and you can tell if they're cooked by looking at the colour.
When cooked, raw prawns turn into an opaque white with pink accents.
It's not a problem if you overcook them, but make sure the prawns are not still raw because then they're not safe to eat.
How do you make moqueca de camarao?
Put the prawns in a bowl and stir in half of the lime juice and the minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper and chill for 30 minutes.
In a large pan, heat the coconut oil and fry the red onion and red pepper for 5 minutes until slightly softened.
Stir in the garlic and green chilli and continue to cook for another minute.
Add the red chilli flakes and paprika, stir to combine and cook for another 30 seconds.
Add the prawns and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the prawns are almost cooked.
Stir in the cherry tomatoes and cook for 2-3 more minutes, stirring often and breaking down the tomatoes with your spoon as they cook.
Add the coconut milk, bring to a simmer, then allow to reduce and thicken for 1-2 minutes.
Stir in the lime juice and season to taste. Serve with rice and topped with fresh coriander and extra lime wedges.
Extra recipe notes and tips
- Don't substitute full-fat coconut milk with a low-fat version, as the stew won't be as creamy.
- The stew will keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- You can also serve it with brown rice or topped with some chopped spring onions (scallions).
- Other types of seafood, such as scallops or white fish, work well in this recipe.
If you liked this Brazilian prawn coconut stew (moqueca de camarao), have a look at some of my other easy dinner recipes with seafood:
Easiest Ever Creamy Prawn Linguine (Linguine con Gamberi)
Carbonara di Mare (Seafood Carbonara)
Spanish Fish Stew with Potatoes
Looking for more delicious inspiration? Follow Skinny Spatula on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Brazilian Prawn Coconut Stew (Moqueca de Camarao)
Brazilian prawn coconut stew (moqueca de camarao) is an easy and delicious low-carb recipe that features a unique combination of spices. It's one of the most famous Brazilian foods, and it's super easy to make in just 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 400 g (14 oz) prawns
- Juice of 2 limes, divided
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- 1 medium red pepper, diced
- 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 green chilli, deseeded, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon red chilli flakes
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 8 cherry tomatoes, diced
- 400 ml (13.5 fl oz) coconut milk
- Fresh coriander, to serve
Instructions
- Put the prawns in a bowl and stir in half of the lime juice and the minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper and chill for 30 minutes.
- In a large pan, heat the coconut oil and fry the red onion and red pepper for 5 minutes until slightly softened. Stir in the garlic and green chilli and continue to cook for another minute.
- Add the red chilli flakes and paprika, sir to combine and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the prawns and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the prawns are almost cooked.
- Stir in the cherry tomatoes and cook for 2-3 more minutes, stirring often and breaking down the tomatoes with your spoon as they cook.
- Add the coconut milk, bring to a simmer, then allow to reduce and thicken for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and season to taste. Serve with rice and topped with fresh coriander and extra lime wedges.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 389Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 236mgSodium: 1495mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 3gSugar: 13gProtein: 35g
Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
Rob Mc says
We loved this recipe. The only thing was that the lime was a bit over powering for one of us. Might be that my limes were extra juicy?? If you had to put a measure on the lime juice what do you think it would be. Thanks for the great recipe!
maria says
is it tablespoon as in a literal tablespoon or american measuring?
Alice says
It's the American measuring.
Clare says
Sauce was so tasty- I substituted green curry paste for green chillies. It was yum!
Alice says
Thank you, Clare! I'm thrilled to hear that the sauce turned out well with your substitution. Green curry paste sounds like a great choice.
Kyla says
Is this supposed to be 8 singular cherry tomatoes or 8 Oz cherry tomatoes?
Alice says
Hi Kayla, it's supposed to be 8 singular cherry tomatoes.
Vitor says
The original Brazilian recipes uses azeite de dendê (palm oil) instead of coconut oil. But this palm oil can be hard to find. I really like the suggestion to use coconut oil in combination with paprika as a substitute.
Shazia says
Oops my bad. Just saw the seasoning instructions 🙂
Shazia says
Do we have to add any salt? It’s not listed in the ingredients
Donna Blyth says
This is one of the most delicious prawn dishes I’ve ever eaten let alone cooked! Definitely a keeper. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe, Alice.
Alice says
Thank you so much for the feedback, Donna! I'm so happy you liked the stew 🙂
Steve says
Hi Could you substitute the cherry tomatoes with canned tomatoes thanks
Alice says
Yes, but use a sieve to get rid of the liquid.
jules margaret says
very nice, had to thicken mine with a bit of cornflour, hubby could go hotter but i really enjoyed it