Bobo de Camarao
Shrimp simmered briefly in a sauce thickened with pureed cassava rather than bread, enriched with dende palm oil and coconut milk. Likely descended from ritual dishes using mashed yam, adapted with cassava by enslaved African cooks in Bahia, bobo de camarao shares its dende-and-coconut-milk lineage with the already-featured vatapa and moqueca, a real, well-documented Afro-Brazilian culinary through-line.
Seafood
⚠ Contains: Shellfish. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 1 kg cassava (yuca/manioc), peeled and chopped
- 700g medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 can (400ml) coconut milk
- 3 tbsp dende (palm) oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1-2 malagueta or red chilies, finely chopped, optional
- Juice of 1 lime
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Cooked white rice, for serving
Steps
- Boil the cassava in salted water until very tender, about 20-25 minutes. Drain, reserving some cooking liquid.
- Puree the cooked cassava, adding a little reserved cooking liquid or coconut milk to reach a smooth, thick, mashed-potato-like consistency. Set aside.
- Season the shrimp with lime juice, salt, and pepper, and let marinate 10 minutes.
- Heat the dende oil in a large pot and saute the onion, bell peppers, and garlic until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and chilies if using, and cook until the tomatoes break down, 5 minutes.
- Stir in the pureed cassava and coconut milk, mixing until smooth and well combined, then simmer gently 10 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking.
- Add the shrimp to the pot and cook just until pink and cooked through, 4-5 minutes; do not overcook.
- Stir in fresh cilantro, adjust seasoning with salt and lime juice, and serve hot over white rice.