Fish escabeche recipe (escabecheng isda) is popular dish among Filipinos. Normally the fish comes fried and the sauce is a blend of sautéed garlic, onions, ginger, vinegar, brown sugar, bell peppers, carrots and cornstarch which thickens the sauce.
Escabeche is also a poached or fried fish served with a vegetable mixture and a sweet and sour sauce reminiscent of atchara. While other prefer it hot and fresh from the stove, it is common to enjoy this dish at room temperature.
Talikitok, apahap, tanigue or any firm-fleshed fish can be substituted for the Lapu-lapu.
Escabeche is a sweet and sour fish Filipino style. Combination of vinegar and sugar and blended with the test of ginger that make escabeche one of the Filipinos favourite food. Try this escabeche recipe.
- 1 kg fish of your choice-
- Tilapia or pla-pla
- Slices of bangus belly(Milk fish)
- Lapu-lapu (Grouper)
- Red maya-maya (Red snapper)
- For the sauce:
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup vinegar
- 2 tbsps soy sauce
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tbsps all purpose flour
- 1 thumb size ginger, julienned
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsps oil for sautéing
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Vegetable Toppings:
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 1 big-sized red or green bell pepper, sliced in strips
- 1 carrot, julienned
- 1 small green papaya, shredded (optional)
- Preparing the optional ingredient papaya:
- Peel the papaya then remove the seeds.
- Using a vegetable shredder, shred the papaya into strips.
- Mix 5 tbsps of salt with the shredded papaya to help drain its juice. For better result, use a cheese cloth (katsa) in squeezing juice from the shredded papaya.
- Wash the shredded papaya with water to remove the salt.
- Do a final squeeze to drain out water. Set aside.
- Cooking Procedures:
- Using your hands, rub salt and pepper to the fish.
- Heat up enough amount of oil in a pan and fry the fish until golden brown. Set aside.
- On a separate deep pan, sauté garlic and ginger.
- Add vinegar, water, sugar, and soy sauce. Mix well until sugar is dissolved.
- Add the shredded papaya (optional).
- Cover the pan and simmer for 3 minutes or until the papaya is cooked.
- Add bell pepper, carrot, and onion. Simmer for another 1 minute.
- To thicken the sauce, make a slurry by mixing 2 tbsps flour and 2 tbsps water.
- Pour the slurry into the pan, stir slowly until the sauce thickens.
- Put-in the fried fish, top it with the vegetables. Cover the pan and continue to simmer for another 1 minute.
- Serve hot and enjoy your Pinoy style escabeche!
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