HOT PLATES: Carlo Xavier’s Brazilian Mariscada
Melbourne / Brazil
Melbourne / Brazil
Melbourne based selector & food entrepreneur Carlo Xavier has a long entangled history in the food and music industry. From a young age sweating it out in commercial kitchens developing his education for gastronomy and an ear for otherworldly sounds on the restaurant floor and at home growing up in a very multicultural family of Portuguese/Macanese & English migrants. Carlo has under his apron, owned and operated his own successful additions to the culinary world all whilst serving tasteful selections to dancefloors all over Australia and Brazil. With strong family ties to Brazil it’s been a dramatic love affair with his second home the last 11 years and nurtured connections with record label Analog Africa, harvesting co curation duties of Analog Africa’s Brazilian releases, Siria, Camarao & Jambu compilations. A world without good food and music is hard to imagine and should never be taken for granted.
His Mariscada do Sotero (Baiana mixed seafood stew) was an obvious choice for his Hot Plates dish. Carlo has been cooking this dish since his wife’s childhood friend’s dad showed him how to cook it, in Bahia, 11 years ago. It was the first Brazilian dish he learnt to cook. You can take this recipe base and use just about any seafood you like, octopus or crab, for example, are his favourites.
Serves 5 people
If you’re having trouble finding the cassava flour and dende oil (key to the vibrant colour of this dish), this can be easily found in your local Ghanain or African grocer, depending where in the world you are. The Ghanaians call the flour, Gari. I actually prefer this to the exported Brazilian versions from Yoki, which have this horrible pre-seasoned flavour as the flour is sold ready to eat. If you want to be a purist you can blend the Gari dry to get the super fine Baiana version for a nice touch.
Axé, meu povo!