Paksiw Na Isda

Fish Poached in Vinegar and Ginger

Paksiw na Isda is a dish where fish is poached in vinegar and ginger.

Fish is merely cleaned, innards and all removed but with scales intact.

According to the book Philippine Cookery and Household Hints by Herminia Villacorta-Alvarez, the word pak siw "is a native term for pickling fish and meat.

Fish or meat is cooked with vinegar, salt, garlic, and a little water; with or without ginger and sugar."

It says, "Most common fishes cooked as paksiao are: Bangus (Milkfish), Biya (Gobies), Talilong (Black Finned Mullets), Banak (Long-Finned Mullet), Buwan-buwan, Bidbid (Ten Pounder) and Kitang(Spadefish)."

My mom's recipe for this dish uses long chili peppers for added zing, and she removes the fish scales before cooking it.

YOUR SHOPPING LIST:

• Milkfish or Bangus
• Long Chili Peppers

IN THE PANTRY:

• Vinegar
• Ginger
• Onion
• Salt
• White Pepper

INGREDIENTS

• 1 piece Milkfish or Bangus, scaled, cleaned and cut in serving sizes
• 1 Long Chili Peppers, sliced diagonally
• 1/3 cup Vinegar
• 1 thumbsize Ginger, sliced in strips
• 1 medium Onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon White Pepper

PREPARATION TIME : 10 minutes

COOKING TIME : 10 minutes

1 Put all the ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil. Do not stir.

2 Turn the heat down and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the fish is done. Turning the fish over to the other side is necessary if the pan you are using is too wide and the fish is not totally immersed in the liquid. Flip the fish over during halfway through the cooking process.

3 Serve with a plate of rice.

(Learn more about COOKING RICE, THE FILIPINO WAY.)

BENG'S TIPS

• You can use Galunggong instead of Bangus. Try to watch the cooking time as it is not as meaty as the Bangus, thus, tends to cook faster.
• Do not stir the vinegar mixture in Step #1 so the vinegar will not taste fresh and very tangy.
• Handle the fish delicately so it doesn't fall apart when you are flipping it over or when plating the dish.

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