Maceió Food: Sururu, Moqueca & Alagoas Coastal Cuisine
Maceió's cuisine is defined by the lagoon and the Atlantic — the sururu clam stew is the city's signature, the moqueca uses fresh coconut milk and local fish, and the seafood variety is extraordinary
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Sururu Clam Stew
Sururu — small lagoon mussels — cooked with coconut milk, cilantro and lemon is Maceió's most distinctive dish; the mussels are harvested from Lagoa Mundaú by hand and delivered to the city's restaurants fresh daily
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Moqueca Alagoana
The Alagoas version of moqueca fish stew uses local grouper or snapper, fresh coconut milk from local coconuts and a specific blend of regional herbs; the recipe differs from the Bahian version in its lighter color
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Camarão ao Coco
Shrimp cooked in fresh coconut milk with tomatoes and cilantro is Maceió's most popular restaurant dish — the sweetness of local shrimp and fresh coconut milk together create a taste of extraordinary delicacy
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Peixe na Telha Alagoana
Fish baked on a clay tile with coconut milk, tomatoes and onions — the Alagoas version of this northeastern dish uses local fish and the region's specific seasoning
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Artisan Cachaça from Alagoas
The state of Alagoas produces distinctly artisanal cachaça — the sugar cane spirit aged in local woods with regional variations in flavor; Usina Santa Clotilde and smaller distilleries produce celebrated bottles
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Coconut tradition
Maceió's coastal plains are covered in coconut palms – the fresh coconut water, the coconut milk used in cooking, the coconut oil and the dried grated coconut are fundamental to the local food economy