Brazilian Shrimp Vatapá
A thick Bahian cream of bread, coconut milk, shrimp, peanuts, cashews, and dendê oil. Makes 4 servings; times are approximate.
This version of vatapá is made with fresh shrimp and nuts, and served hot as a main dish or as an acarajé filling. Preparation and cooking take approximately 10 and 50 minutes, respectively.
Ingredient allergens
Allergen listDocumented presence
-
Crustaceans
Whole raw shrimp
Ingredients without verified allergen data 8
Ingredients without verified allergen data: Stale bread, Coconut milk, Water, Unsalted roasted peanuts, Cashews, Onion, Fresh ginger, Dendê oil.
Method
- 01
Soak the bread
Tear the stale bread into pieces and combine it in a bowl with the coconut milk and 300 ml of water. Leave it to soften while you prepare the other ingredients.
Ready to continue when: The bread is soft and has absorbed liquid.
- 02
Prepare the shrimp
Peel the whole raw shrimp and remove the vein. Set the flesh, heads, and shells aside separately.
Ready to continue when: The shrimp flesh is cleaned, and the heads and shells are reserved separately.
- 03
Make the broth
Heat the remaining 300 ml of water in a saucepan. Add the heads and shells and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
Ready to continue when: The broth has simmered gently for 15 minutes and the shells have released their flavor.
15 min - 04
Blend and strain the broth
Blend the broth with the heads and shells. Strain it through a fine sieve and return the strained liquid to the blender.
Ready to continue when: The strained broth is free of shell fragments.
- 05
Blend the base
Add the onion, ginger, peanuts, and cashews to the broth. Blend until smooth.
Ready to continue when: The mixture is smooth, with no large pieces of nuts visible.
- 06
Add the bread and some of the shrimp
Add the soaked bread to the mixture and blend until incorporated. Work in batches if needed; add half of the shrimp flesh and blend again.
Ready to continue when: The mixture is smooth, with no visible pieces of bread.
- 07
Cook the vatapá
Transfer the mixture to a large saucepan. Add the remaining shrimp and the dendê oil. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly, until thick; adjust the texture with a little more coconut milk if needed.
Ready to continue when: The vatapá is thick and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
35 min - 08
Serve
Spoon the hot vatapá into bowls and serve it as a main dish or as an acarajé filling.
Ready to continue when: The vatapá is portioned and ready to serve hot.
Ingredients
Sources and review
Content researched, cross-checked and automatically validated. Sources consulted:
- LA BIOTECNOLOGÍA PARA LA SEGURIDAD ALIMENTARIA, ECONÓMICA Y LA GEOPOLÍTICA doi.org/10.37885/221211159
- Por qué el Sáhara Occidental es una pieza clave para la seguridad alimentaria mundial doi.org/10.64628/aao.swhdr6qsf
- SEGURIDAD ALIMENTARIA INFORME DE AESAN - IDELABINGENIERIA idelabingenieria.com/seguridad-alimentaria-informe-de-aesan-sobre-el-tratamiento-termico-de-…
- Cultura y memoria del maíz, de la mandioca y del frijol en cuanto prácticas de resistencia a los modelos hegemónicos y sus impactos en las tradiciones alimentarias en Brasil | OpenAlex openalex.org/W3174962247
- Vatapá brasileño. Receta tradicional y casera de Brasil recetasdecocina.elmundo.es/2026/09/vatapa-brasileno-receta-tradicional-y-casera-de-brasil.ht…
- Cómo hacer vatapá brasileño, una crema tradicional de Bahía llena de sabor www.directoalpaladar.com/recetas-de-salsas-y-guarniciones/como-hacer-vatapa-brasileno-crema-…
- - YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=z84kGF_YbpM
- Vatapá: la irresistible receta brasileña con un sabor y una cremosidad sorprendentes bonviveur.com/es/recetas/vatapa
- Vatapá - Juliana Aguiar - Receta - Canal Cocina canalcocina.es/receta/vatapa
- COCINA EN CASA: VATAPÁ esolercocina.blogspot.com/2015/08/vatapa.html
- Vatapá - Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatap%C3%A1
- Vatapá: El Sabor Cremoso de la Tradición Afrobrasileña eusouoluiz.com/english/f/vatap%C3%A1-el-sabor-cremoso-de-la-tradici%C3%B3n-afrobrasile%C3%B1…
- Vatapá: origen, ingredientes y alérgenos www.menuella.com/es/food-wiki/vatapa
- Lagunas culturales en la traducción al español del cuento brasileño El Picapalo amarillo de Monteiro Lobato | OpenAlex openalex.org/W4415762633
State: Published after documentary validation; no “Tested” label is shown.