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CASA Veneracion

CASA Veneracion

Filipino food for the 21st century

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You are here: Home / Modern Filipino / No-fry Sweet Sour Tilapia

No-fry Sweet Sour Tilapia

Easy yet bursting with flavors and colors, tilapia is braised in a very basic sweet-sour sauce with ginger and chilies thrown in. This no-fry sweet sour tilapia requires less work than escabeche.
Tilapia braised in rice vinegar, honey and fish sauce
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Modern Filipino
Keyword: Tilapia
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 2 people
Author: Connie Veneracion

Ingredients

  • 1 tilapia - 600 to 700 grams, scaled and gutted
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 4 slices ginger
  • 1 small handful cilantro - roughly chopped
  • 4 stalks scallions - cut into 1-inch lengths then finely sliced vertically
  • 2 bird's eye chilies - finely chopped or sliced

Instructions

  • Rinse the tilapia under the tap making sure to clean the cavity.
  • Wipe the tilapia with a kitchen towel.
  • Score the fish diagonally on both sides — twice on each side if the fish is rather large.
  • Rub the salt and pepper all over the fish, including the cavity.
  • In a pan that can hold the fish comfortably, mix together the rice vinegar, honey, fish sauce, ginger and one bird's eye chili (if your pan is large and the sauce is less than ¼-inch deep, add a little water).
  • Bring to the boil then gently lay the fish in the sauce.
  • Cover tightly and cook over very low heat for 20 to 30 minutes (see notes after the recipe).
  • When the fish is done, use a large spatula to transfer it to a serving platter.
  • Pour the remaining sauce over, discarding the ginger.
  • Scatter the scallions and cilantro over the fish, sprinkle with bird's eye chilies and serve at once.

Cook’s Notes

Do not be tempted to remove the cover and peek while the fish cooks. The fish is meant to cook in the little sauce and its own juices and you really don’t want any of it evaporating needlessly.
No-fry sweet-sour tilapia
Updated from a recipe originally published in November 11, 2008
Do you like seriously Asian food?Check out Devour.Asia!

If you cooked this dish (or made this drink) and you want to share your masterpiece, please use your own photos and write the cooking steps in your own words.

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03/13/2021 : See more in Lunch / Dinner Main Courses Modern Filipino, Tilapia

About Connie Veneracion

Hello and welcome! I'm a retired lawyer and columnist, wife for 29 years, mom of two, and a passionate cook. What is this blog about? Recipes for dishes we have cooked at home since 2003.

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