Name: Tilapia Escabeche
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 155 min
Ingredients: 2 whole tilapia ((about 1.2 kilograms total weight) cleaned and gutted); 2 tablespoons rock salt; ½ teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 onion; 2 cloves garlic; 2 stalks lemongrass (white portion only); 1 one-inch knob ginger; 1 small carrot; 1 bell pepper; ¼ cup vinegar; ½ cup white sugar; ½ teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoons tomato sauce; 2 teaspoons corn starch (dispersed in two tablespoons water); cooking oil; ¼ teaspoon table salt; 2 pinches ground black pepper; 2 stalks lemongrass (white and green portions); 1 one-inch knob ginger (lightly pounded); 2 cloves garlic (lightly pounded); 2 tablespoons corn starch; 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions

Tilapia Escabeche

In this tilapia escabeche recipe, two whole fish were fried until golden and crisp, smothered with julienned vegetables and doused with sweet sour sauce.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Modern Filipino

Keyword: Sweet Sour Sauce, Tilapia

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Marinating time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes

Servings: people

Author: Connie Veneracion

Ingredients

2 whole tilapia (about 1.2 kilograms total weight) cleaned and gutted
2 tablespoons rock salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Vegetable topping

1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 stalks lemongrass white portion only
1 one-inch knob ginger
1 small carrot
1 bell pepper

Sweet sour sauce

¼ cup vinegar
½ cup white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
2 teaspoons corn starch dispersed in two tablespoons water

To cook tilapia escabeche

cooking oil
¼ teaspoon table salt
2 pinches ground black pepper
2 stalks lemongrass white and green portions
1 one-inch knob ginger lightly pounded
2 cloves garlic lightly pounded
2 tablespoons corn starch

To garnish

2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions

Instructions

Season the fish

Rinse the tilapia and pat dry with paper towels.
Score both sides of the fish.
Rub the salt and pepper evenly over the entire surface of both fish.
Place the fish in a covered container and leave to marinate in the fridge for two hours.

Prep the vegetables

Peel and thinly slice the onion.
Peel and mince the garlic.
Peel off and discard the tough outer stalks of the lemongrass then thinly slice the tender portion.
Peel and julienne the ginger and carrot.
Cut the bell pepper into halves, scoop out and discard the seeds. Julienne the deseeded bell pepper.

Make the sweet sour sauce

Stir the vinegar, sugar, salt and tomato sauce in a sauce pan.
Heat the mixture, stirring often, until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Pour in the starch solution and cook, stirring, until the sauce is thick and no longer cloudy.

Cook the vegetables

Heat a tablespoon of cooking oil in a frying pan.
Saute the sliced lemongrass, garlic and ginger until aromatic.
Add the onion, carrot and bell pepper.
Cook the vegetables just until done (see notes after the recipe). Scoop out and set aside.

Fry the tilapia

Take the fish out of the fridge and dry with paper towels once more.
Lighly pound the white portions of the lemongrass before tying each into a knot.
Stuff the cavity of each tilapia with a knotted lemongrass stalk, and half of the garlic and ginger.
In a thick-bottomed frying pan, heat enough cooking oil to reach a depth of two inches.
Lightly coat the tilapia with corn starch; shake off the excess.
Fry the tilapia, turning them over for even cooking, until golden and crisp.

Assemble the tilapia escabeche

Arrange the fried tilapia in shallow bowls.
Drizzle sweet sour sauce over the fish.
Top with the vegetables and sliced scallions.

Cook’s Notes

It is best not to overcook the vegetables.

Please don’t overcook the fish either. You want the outside to be golden and crisp but the inside should remain moist.

Tilapia escabeche topped with julienned vegetables and thinly sliced scallions

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