Escabeche (Filipino Sweet and Sour Fish)
Escabeche is a festive and classic Filipino dish for everyday meals or for special get-togethers. Whole, crispy fish is topped with a colourful sweet and sour sauce for a delicious and hearty meal!
- Prep time
- 14 min
- Cook time
- 31 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- *1 large , whole fish (tilapia, red snapper, grouper, or pompano works)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 green onion, julienned (optional)
- Crispy shallots (optional)
- Neutral oil ,for shallow-frying the fish (vegetable, peanut, or canola oil works)
- 1 tbsp oil, for frying
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup ginger, julienned (~2 thumbs)
- 1/2 cup carrots, julienned (~1 small carrot)
- 1 bell pepper, julienned (I used a mix of red and green)
- 1/4 cup canned pineapple chunks
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup pineapple juice (leftover from the can)
- 4 tbsp banana ketchup
- 3-4 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp cane vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce instead
- 1/4 tsp salt, to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper, to taste
- Cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp cold water)
Instructions
- 1
Pat your fish dry. Season liberally with salt and pepper on all sides and inside the gut.
- 2
Heat a large pan with a shallow amount of oil over medium heat. *Once hot, shallow-fry the whole fish for about 5-7 minutes on each side, or until cooked-through and crispy.
- 3
Set the fish aside to cool while you prepare the sauce.
- 4
Heat the 1 tbsp of oil in a pan over medium-heat. Add in the onions and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
- 5
Next, add in the garlic and ginger, and cook for an additional 2 minutes until golden and fragrant.
- 6
Add in the carrots, bell peppers (red and green), and pineapple chunks. briefly cook for 3-4 minutes until the carrots and bell peppers have softened slightly.
- 7
Pour in the water, pineapple juice, sugar, banana ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Mix well to combine. Let this simmer for 5 minutes.
- 8
Pour in the cornstarch slurry. Mix well, and continue to cook the sauce until thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
- 9
Place the fried, whole fish in a large plate.
- 10
Pour the escabeche sauce directly on top of the fish. Finish with the green onions and fried shallots as garnish. Serve immediately, enjoy!