Escabeche

Don’t sleep on whole fish. 🐟

It’s Fish Friday, and Escabeche might be the BEST way to eat whole fish. Crispy fried fish topped with a tangy, sweet, garlicky sauce with peppers, onions, and carrots. Simple ingredients, big Filipino flavor, and that crispy-saucy combo just hits every time.

If you’ve never cooked whole fish before, this is the recipe to start with.

Ingredients

• 1 whole fish (Tilapia, red snapper, pompano)

• Salt

• Pepper

• 3 cloves garlic minced

• 2 Tbsp ginger minced

• 1 onion sliced

• 1/2 c red bell pepper - cut into strips

  1/2 c green bell pepper - cut into strips

• 1/2 c carrots - cut into strips

• 1/2 c of sweet and sour sauce

Instructions

1. Season a whole fish with salt and pepper, then lightly dust with cornstarch. This helps create that crispy golden crust.

2. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the fish one side at a time until golden brown and crispy. Carefully flip and finish the other side. Remove and place on a serving plate.

3. In a saucepan, sauté garlic, ginger, and onion until soft and fragrant.

4. Add sliced bell peppers and carrots and cook for a couple minutes until just slightly tender.

5. Pour in bottled sweet and sour sauce for that classic escabeche balance of tangy and sweet. Simmer briefly until warmed through.

6. Spoon the saucy vegetables over the crispy fried fish.