Fish Escabeche Recipe Filipino Style – Fish Escabeche generally translates to sweet and sour fish. It is one type of escabeche. Escabeche is a name for several dishes in Spanish, Portuguese, Filipino, and Latin American cuisines. The dish mainly refers to marinated fish, meat, or vegetables, cooked in an acidic sauce. The sauce is generally bright and made from paprika, citrus, and other spices. With Fish Escabeche done Filipino-style, you’ll get a whole fried/poached fish in a sweet and sour sauce, topped with pickled vegetables. If you’re a fan of a tangy flavor profile and want to enhance a fish dish, try this Filipino style Escabeche:
Filipino Fish Escabeche
Ingredients
- 1 Tilapia (whole and at least a pound)
- 3 tbsp sugar
- ⅓ cup vinegar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (dissolved in ½ cup water)
- ½ cup red bell pepper (cut into strips)
- ½ cup green bell pepper (cut into strips)
- ½ cup carrots (cut into strips)
- ¼ cup ginger – (cut into strips)
- 1 onion (sliced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ cup cooking oil (for frying the fish)
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon salt for seasoning fish
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons ketchup (optional and for coloring)
Instructions
- Season the fish with salt and heat up the oil in a frying pan.
- When the oil is hot, fry the fish until both sides are golden brown.
- Remove the fish and drain the oil before setting the fish aside.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a separate pan and saute garlic, ginger, and onion. Once they are sauteed, add the carrots and bell peppers.
- Let the vegetables cook then pour in the vinegar and dissolved cornstarch. Stir it in then add sugar and ketchup. Season with salt and pepper and make sure the ingredients are fully mixed together.
- Let the sauce simmer until it thickens and make sure to stir it so it doesn't stick to the pan.
- When the sauce has reached the right consistency, pour it onto the fried fish and serve it fresh.
Additional Noted with Fish Escabeche Recipe Filipino Style
When cooking Fish Escabeche, there are several fish options other than tilapia you can use. Some of the other fish options you can use for this dish include lapu-lapu, red snapper, and pampano. So long as the fish is flat and wide and fries well, you can use it for this dish. Overall, this dish is fairly easy to make and is a great way to try something different with your fish. As a Filipino dish, this sweet and sour fish pairs well with rice. You can also try it by itself and pair it with a side dish. Either way, Fish Escabeche is one of many variations of escabeche to try.
Fun Facts about Escabeche
While you’ll find escabeche featured in Spanish, Portuguese, Filipino, and Latin American cuisines, the word has Persian origins. Another thing to note is that the dish is usually on the tangy side but with the Filipino variety, it has a more sweet and sour taste. Because of this, the dish actually lasts longer when stored properly. Aside from this, you can check out other similar dishes like the Jamaican escoveech fish, which involves fish marinated in a sauce of vinegar, onions, carrots, and scotch bonnet peppers overnight.
Find even more fish dishes to try with our “Tuna Sisig Recipe” or try a sweet and savory dish with our “Filipino Tocino Recipe.”
