Brazilian Shrimp Stuffed Pumpkin— Camarão na Moranga in Portuguese— is a celebratory dish served on holidays like Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and dinner parties. It’s definitely shy in popularity when compared to Feijoada or Moqueca, but I’m here to help you demystify the dish and make it very accessible for anyone to make it at home. Whether you live in the U.S, Brazil, or anywhere around the world, Brazilian Shimp Stuffed Pumpkin is a delicious meal that can be prepared ahead of time and will gather many compliments from your guests around the table.
A quick fun fact before we get into the recipe for Camarão Na Moranga. Moranga is a type of pumpkin in Brazil, not to be confused with morango, which means strawberries in Portuguese. Here in the U.S, moranga translates to winter squash, such as this one.
Depending on the size of your party, you might choose to go with this type of pumpkin or something a little larger. Remember, you want a pumpkin that has a large enough cavity to fill two pounds of shrimp, plus the vegetables. I highly recommend watching the video for Camarão Na Moranga HERE as the visual helps you understand the process described in this recipe.
My favorite part is when you serve the dish, and all those flavors from the pumpkin, shrimp, and cream cheese come together in a gorgeous presentation and a delicious taste.
A word about the cream cheese: while developing this recipe, I used a Brazilian brand called Catupiry, which can be found in a Latin store near my area in Westchester, New York. If you don’t want to use this brand, the original Philadelphia cream cheese will taste just as good. I like sprinkling just a little bit of Parmesan cheese on top to make it nice and golden.
I can’t wait for you to try this recipe for Camarão Na Moranga. I’m here to answer any questions you might have during the day (before, during, or after).
A little note about the music in this video, titled “Uma e 10,” is from Brazilian artist Rafa Valle, featured on Spotify. One day, I was browsing Instagram videos just like you are now, and scrolled through a video from him, this young and handsome singer, introducing himself and literally asking for people to use his music in videos for the internet. Curious, I checked him out and enjoyed ALL of his songs. You should check him out as well! And if you like this video, share it! It will help him and me too! Parabens Rafa Valle!
Camarão Na Moranga
Serves 4 to 6
One medium squash, about 3 to 4 lbs (such as autumn squash or mammoth squash; it’s ok to use a pumpkin as well, as long as it’s not too tall)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
4 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 lbs medium-size shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail removed
3 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
¼ cup freshly chopped dill
3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
2 cups cream cheese, such as Catupiry (or Philadelphia), at room temperature
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Prepare the Squash: using a pairing knife, cut the top of the squash (or pumpkin), creating a lid, about ¾ of the way up the vegetable. You should have enough of an opening so that it makes a beautiful presentation. Remove the seeds and fiber by scraping with a spoon; the inside cavity should be as smooth as possible. Brush with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Prepare a pot of simmering water; the pan should be smaller than the squash and not be filled all the way up. Place the squash upside down (open cavity should face steam) and cook gently until the flesh is soft (not mushy, but the shell is still firm and hold its shape, about 20 minutes. Check after the first 10 minutes and poke with a small knife. Adjust the steam accordingly. Remove from the heat and let it cool, cavity facing up, while you prepare the shrimp.
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
- Prepare the Shrimp: In a large saute pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and garlic and cook until it just turns golden about 3 minutes.
- Add the onions and scallions and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the paprika, nutmeg, and oregano, and continue to cook until soft, about 4 minutes.
- Season the shrimp with salt and pepper on both sides. Add the shrimp and cook until it just starts to turn orange, about 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, dill, and parsley, and mix everything together with a wooden spoon.
- Using a large spoon, transfer the shrimp and all vegetables to the squash cavity.
- Season the cream cheese with salt and pepper and place it inside a pastry bag. Pipe with the cream cheese on top of the shrimp. You can assemble the pumpkin up to 2 days ahead of time, covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator. Make sure to bring it to room temperature before baking.
- Bake The Pumpkin: Sprinkle the parmesan on top of the cream cheese and place the squash on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake in the oven until cheese is melted and bubbly, 45 to 55 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a platter. To serve, spoon the shrimp and cream cheese onto a plate. Scoop some of the cooked pumpkin from the inside of the cavity. Serve over white rice or another starch of your preference.
If you like this recipe, you might also enjoy:
I’m so happy that you visited today. Thanks for reading and browsing my site.
Make sure to share this story with someone who cares about this topic.
I’d love to know what you think about this article. Please send an email.
You can buy my cookbooks on Amazon: Latin Superfoods is my latest cookbook, I’m also the author of The Brazilian Kitchen and My Rio de Janeiro: A Cookbook.
Visit my YouTube Chanel @LeticiaMoreinosSchwartz
The easiest and most impactful thing you can to support is subscribe to my newsletter and to my channel on YouTube. And of course, tell your friends about it.
I’d love to connect with you on social media
Instagram @LeticiaMoreinosSchwartz,
Twitter @ChefLeticia
Facebook @ChefLeticiaHealthyCooking
Linked In @LeticiaMoreinosSchwartz
See you next time,
Leticia
