Version from Brazil
Camarão no Bafo — Brazil
Camarão no bafo is a Brazilian shrimp dish cooked tightly covered in its own juices with tomato, onion and coriander, without added water.
- 20 min
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 4
- Servings
- Easy
- Difficulty
Camarão no bafo, whose name translates roughly as shrimp in the steam, is a shrimp dish cooked in a tightly covered pot so that it steams gently in the liquid released by the shrimp and vegetables rather than being boiled in added water. The result is a small amount of concentrated, naturally sweet sauce clinging to the shrimp.
It is reported from Brazil's coastal regions, where it is prepared in home kitchens and simple seaside restaurants, often served as a quick, everyday way of cooking fresh shrimp when the catch of the day is at its best.
To prepare it, shrimp are seasoned with lime, garlic, salt and pepper, then layered in a heavy pot with chopped tomato, onion, bell pepper and coriander and a little oil. The pot is covered tightly and set over low heat, and shaken occasionally rather than stirred, so the seal is not broken, until the shrimp turn pink and the vegetables soften.
Among Brazil's coastal shrimp dishes such as moqueca, camarão no bafo is set apart by leaving out coconut milk and palm oil, keeping to a lighter tomato-and-herb base, and by the closed-pot steaming technique that gives the dish its name.
Preparation
Season the shrimp with lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper, and let marinate for 15 minutes.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot and layer in the onion, tomato and bell pepper.
Arrange the marinated shrimp on top.
Scatter half the chopped coriander and the sliced chili over the shrimp.
Cover the pot tightly and cook over low heat, without adding water, until the shrimp turn pink and the vegetables soften.
Shake the pot occasionally instead of stirring, to keep the seal.
Finish with the remaining coriander and a squeeze of lime, and serve immediately.
