Lenten Recipe: Fish Escabeche

 Featured Recipe: Fish Escabeche

 Created and Prepared by: Chef Socrates Z. Inonog, CCE, ACE

Fasting is the most common form of sacrifice observed by Filipinos. When fasting, a person refrains from eating any animal meat and instead eats fish and vegetables--or even nothing at all. This is a form of reminder to denounce the selfish demands of flesh and follow the unselfish example of God through his son Jesus Christ who died in the cross for the salvation of mankind.

One Filipino favorite served during Lenten Season is the fish escabeche, which is poached or fried fish marinated in an acidic mixture before serving. Usually served on special occasions, escabeche is usually cooked in the Philippines using maya-maya, tilapia,  talakitok fish, or any white-meat fish to make the yellow-orange color stand out.

The escabeche is known for it's sweet and sour sauce. The sauce is cooked by first sauteing ginger, garlic, onion. Vegetables are then added and is stirred whilst adding pineapple syrup,tomato sauce, and sugar and salt to taste.

Escabeche is best served immediately after cooking to enjoy the crispiness of the fish, if fried.

  

                                        ESCABECHE

           (Gingered Sweet & Sour Fish)

               

Preparation Time:           45  minutes

Cooking Time    :               30 minutes

Yield: 4 portions

Ingredients:

1 pc                        Striped Bass , whole, 2 lbs, scaled, cleaned and washed

½ cup                    Dry  Sherry Wine

¼ tsp                     Black ground pepper

½ tsp                     Salt

2 oz                        Ginger, peeled, julienne

1 cup                     Cornstarch

3 cups                   Peanut Oil or Canola Oil

1 tbsp                    Fish base, Sysco or Fish Sauce (Patis)*

½ cup                    Pineapple Juice*

½ cup                    Sugar*

½ cup                    Tomato sauce*

1 pc                        Jalapeno, seeded, julienne*

1 tbsp                    Vegetable base, Sysco

½ oz                       Fresh ginger, peeled, julienne*

1 cup                     Scallion flowerets*

¼ pc                       Sweet yellow pepper, julienne*

¼ pc                       Sweet red pepper, julienne*

¼ pc                       Sweet green pepper, julienne*

½ pc                       Small carrot, peeled, julienne*

1 pc                        Medium Onion, julienne*

1 stalk                   Celery, julienne*

½ cup                    Dry Sherry wine*

1 tbsp                    Cornstarch

¼ cup                    Pineapple chunks*

¼ cup                    Vinegar, palm*

½ cup                    Water

*Sauce ingredients

Method:

1.       Scale and gut the fish. Wash over running water. Score on both sides.

2.       Combine wine, pepper and salt. Brush marinade on fish.

3.       Pick ginger and rub inside cavity and the scored sides of fish.

4.       Marinate fish for 15 minutes.

5.       Using a small brush, remove chopped ginger from the fish and dredge fish with cornstarch.

6.       Shake off excess cornstarch.

7.       Heat frying pan. Pour oil. In moderate heat, fry fish until golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes.

8.       Remove from pan. Keep warm.

9.       In a saucepan, combine fish base or patis, pineapple juice, sugar, vinegar and tomato sauce.

10.   Bring to a boil. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.

11.   Add to sauce, the julienned ginger, pepper, carrots, onion and celery.

12.   Bring to a low boil. Simmer for 3 minutes

13.   Combine sherry wine and cornstarch. Mix well and pour into sauce.

14.   Bring to a low boil. Cook until sauce thickens.

15.   Add pineapple chunks.  Simmer for 2 minutes. Serve

Method of Serving:

Lay fish on platter. Pour sauce over. Garnish with floweret of scallion. Serve with timbales of steamed rice

Catch us again next week for another meatless recipe that you can include in your fasting diet. Don't  miss it!