Sweet-Sour Fried Fish (Escabeche)

My husband and I went to the open market one day and bought ourselves some fish. We usually just fry them every time we decide to have fish lunch or dinner but on that day, we were having some guests in our apartment since it was Thanksgiving Day. With a few hours ahead of me, I quickly grabbed my one and only cookbook and started searching for an easy and quick way of cooking fish (besides frying it, of course!)

And I found Escabeche! Hallelujah!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized fish (about 1-1/2 pounds), dressed or fillets
• 1 tsp salt, 2 slices lemon
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp ginger strips
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
• 1 small carrot, cut into strips
• 1 small tomato, sliced
• 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp catsup, 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tbsp water

Steps:

1. Rub fish with sliced lemon, sprinkle with 1 tsp salt. Let it soak for 30mins. Fry in hot oil for 10 mins or until golden brown.
2. In another frying pan, sauté garlic, ginger and onions until the color of onions are clear. Add the remaining vegetables and sauté 1-2 mins more.
3. Add vinegar, water, salt, soy sauce, sugar, catsup, lemon juice and bring to boil. Stir cornstarch solution until thick and transparent. Pour over fish.

Preparation and cooking time: 45 mins

Source: Filipino Cooking Here & Abroad by E.R. Laquian