Escabeche is a festive and classic Filipino dish for everyday meals or for special get-togethers. Whole, crispy fish is topped with a colourful sweet and sour sauce for a delicious and hearty meal!

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What is Escabeche?

In general, escabeche refers to several dishes in Latin America, Portuguese, French, Spanish, Italian, and Filipino cuisines that consists of proteins pickled or cooked in an acidic sauce.

In most variations, the main protein is typically fried before marinating or drenching it in a sauce made with vegetables, spices, and some kind of citrus or vinegar.

Filipino Escabeche

When Filipinos refer to escabeche, we’re essentially referring to a Filipino-style of sweet and sour fish.

A large fish, typically tilapia or red snapper, is shallow fried in oil until crispy. A separate sauce is then made, consisting of sugar, vinegar, and banana ketchup, along with vegetables such as bell peppers, ginger, onion, and carrot.

The sweet and sour sauce is poured on top of the crispy fish, allowing it to absorb all that tangy, sweet sauce.

Filipino Escabeche can be served for everyday cooking, or for more special occasions with the use of a bigger, more expensive fish!

Ingredients

Fish: Any fish of your choice can work for this recipe (fresh or frozen works). Traditionally, the fish should be served whole, but you could also use boneless fillets if you prefer. The most common fish for Filipino Escabeche include tilapia, red snapper (Maya-maya), pompano, or grouper (lapu-lapu).

Other varieties you can try:

Bangus (milkfish)
Cod
Halibut
Salmon

Onion, garlic, ginger, carrots, bell pepper, pineapple: These will make up the bulk of our escabeche sauce. Be sure not to overcook the veggies, we still want them with a slight crunch!

Pineapple juice: This is the juice from the canned pineapples, which will give the sauce a slightly sweet, fruity taste.

Sugar: Most sugars should work for the sauce (e.g., white or brown sugar). Feel free to add more or less depending on your preference.

Banana ketchup: This provides the escabeche sauce with a vibrant red color and a sweet, tangy taste.

Substitutions: Standard tomato ketchup may work. You can also choose to omit the ketchup entirely, if you prefer.

Soy sauce: Soy sauce will deepen the savory notes and provide a bit of needed umami.

Vinegar: While I used cane vinegar for this recipe, most vinegars should work; such as coconut vinegar, rice wine vinegar, or even standard white vinegar.

Instructions

Prepare the fish:

Pat your fish dry. Season liberally with salt and pepper on all sides and inside the gut

Heat a large pan with a shallow amount of oil over medium heat. Once hot, shallow-fry the whole fish for about 5-7 minutes on each side, or until cooked-through and crispy.

Set the fish aside to cool while you prepare the sauce.

Prepare the escabeche sauce:

Heat the 1 tbsp of oil in a pan over medium-heat. Add in the onions and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.

Next, add in the garlic and ginger, and cook for an additional 2 minutes until golden and fragrant.

Add in the carrots, bell peppers (red and green), and pineapple chunks. briefly cook for 3-4 minutes until the carrots and bell peppers have softened slightly.

Pour in the water, pineapple juice, sugar, banana ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Mix well to combine. Let this simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour in the cornstarch slurry. Mix well, and continue to cook the sauce until thickened, about 3-5 minutes.

Assemble the escabeche:

Place the fried, whole fish in a large plate.

Pour the escabeche sauce directly on top of the fish. Finish with the green onions and fried shallots as garnish. Serve immediately, enjoy!

Cooking Tips

Prepare the fish however you like: Traditionally, the fish is fried whole in a shallow pan of oil. If you’re looking for a healthier option with less oil, feel free to either steam or bake the fish instead.

Clean the fish: Because the fish is typically served whole, we’ll need to clean out the fish properly to ensure the best-tasting end result. You can either ask your fish butcher to do this for you, or you may need to prepare it yourself.

To do this:

Using a knife, scrape the fish to remove the scales. You may optionally choose to cut off the fins and tail at this step.
On the underside of the fish, slice into the vent and cut towards the head/neck. Open up the gut to remove the innards and guts.
Rinse out the gut and the whole fish completely until the water runs clear.
Pat the fish dry. Slice shallow slits into either sides of the fish to prepare for frying.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Can I add more veggies?

For a healthier and more filling option, you can choose to add more vegetables such as radish, celery, papaya, cauliflower, broccoli, or even fresh cucumbers.

How do I store this?

Ideally, Filipino Escabeche should be consumed on the same day to take advantage of the freshness and crispiness of the fish. Otherwise, it can keep in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

Looking for more delicious and hearty dishes? Here’s a few that you might love: