Look. I get it. It’s sometimes hard to get out for a date night.
You have to find a sitter or see if your mother-in-law will watch the kids.
You have to get dressed (uh, maybe even shave your legs).
And, worst of all, you have to actually GO OUT.
It’s hard.
I get it.
But sometimes, there’s something super-worth it.
And that, my friends, is a damn-fine steak.
Pssst…that steak that’s so worth it? It’s at Texas de Brazil. And it’s calling you.
See, I’d never been to Texas de Brazil before.
Though my mom had been several years ago when they first opened…she’d told me about the magical salad bar…the men with the meat just offering you any cut you might want.
Still, I had not gone.
A friend went a couple years ago on a corporate thing…same story, fabulous salad bar–and men with so much steak in every cut, every level-of-doneness you could imagine. And this Moqueca Fish Stew that she swore was absolutely divine.
Still, I had not gone.
Until a couple weeks ago.
And now that I made the time, now that I put on makeup, a nice skirt and actually GOT OUT, I mourn for the idiot I was.
Dudes, every mom deserves an evening of churrascaria, salad bar for miles, and a bowl of Moqueca Fish Stew.
See, I made time.
Even though my baby sitter flaked at the last minute.
Even though I made the reservation “too late” for my kids (because the baby sitter…sigh).
And even though I really thought, beforehand, that I could have found something far more productive with my time (like washing dishes, doing laundry, anything–because I “don’t need” date nights, right?!).
And even though I thought “dude, I haven’t been to a fancy restaurant since before the girls were born–do I even know how to do fancy anymore?!”
Dang, the experience was so worth all that.
Worth EVERY SECOND.
I was able to really enjoy a good steak–nay, an AMAZING FREAKING STEAK THAT I STILL WISH I HAD BECAUSE IT WAS SO GOOD.
Seriously, the steak was that good.
And the Moqueca Fish Stew was absolutely the best freaking fish soup I’ve ever had in my life.
It was more than the food, though.
The atmosphere was great.
The servers were kind to my kids, taking time to dote on them–serving the oldest a bowl of bacon when that’s all she wanted and serving the other as many slices of steak as she desired (I’m pretty sure she ate more than me and her dad, combined)
But, look, I get it, the soup isn’t the big draw to Texas de Brazil.
And though the salad bar is amazing, it’s the AWESOMENESS of the steak that just carries the bill.
So, go make you reservation now for that big ‘ole steak that’s calling your name (and mine again).
Recipe for Moqueca Fish Stew
Moqueca Fish Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/3 C olive oil
- 6 white fish fillets
- ½ lb unpeeled shrimp
- ¼ C all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 large yellow onion cut into ¼ inch thick strips
- 3 bell peppers cut into ¼ in strips
- 2 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded & chopped
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped, divided
- 1 14oz can unsweetened coconut milk
- Salt and white pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees
- In ovenproof skillet, heat the butter and half of the olive oil over medium heat.
- Season the fish and shrimp with salt and white pepper, then dredge both sides of the fish with flour.
- When the butter and oil mixture is hot, fry the fish fillets 2 or 3 at a time for about 3 minutes per side. Just enough to cook the exterior and give it some color.
- Transfer the fish to a plate.
- In the same skillet, saute the garlic, shrimp and half of the onions for about 2 minutes.
- Add half of the peppers and saute for 1 minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir.
- Turn off the heat and return the cooked fish (along with its juices) to the skillet.
- Pour the lemon juice over the fish and shrimp, then sprinkle with half of the chopped cilantro.
- Stir the coconut milk with a fork and pour over the seafood.
- Place the remaining raw peppers and onions on top of the seafood, season with salt and white pepper and drizzle with the remaining olive oil.
- Transfer the skillet to the hot oven and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the fish and vegetables are cooked through and the coconut milks starts to bubble.
- Before serving, sprinkle with the remaining cilantro.