A seafood stew restructured as a composed plate — the broth served apart, the fish seared à la plancha, the palm oil emulsified into a golden sauce.
The moqueca is one of Brazil's most territorial dishes — Bahia and Espírito Santo have argued its ownership for generations. Matheus chose neither side. Instead, he took its logic: the slow building of a broth, the layering of coconut and dende, the fish that should be barely cooked — and translated it into a form suited to a six-seat dining room in the Luberon.
The broth was reduced for six hours and clarified. It arrived first, alone, in a small bowl. Then the plate: a single fillet of line-caught sea bass, a pool of emulsified palm oil, herbs foraged from the garden that afternoon. The sequence made the familiar strange without losing its warmth.
Served as part of a seven-course private dinner for a client celebrating a twenty-year anniversary. The table was set for six. The meal lasted four hours.