Escabeche (Sweet and Sour)

Posted byNoriePosted inDips and Sauces, Pickles, Ferments, Complements, Recipe, Side dishes, VegetablesTags:, , ,
Fried Fish Escabeche
Fried Pompano

Filipino escabeche is a sweet and sour sauce that is poured over fried fish.  Many Spanish influenced countries have their own variations of the escabeche dish.  Hispanics from Mexico also call a kind of pickled Jalapeno peppers that are cooked in oil, vinegar, carrots and onions that they call “en escabeche”.

There are also Chinese dishes that are similar to escabeche, like sweet and sour chicken, pork or fried fish with sauce that are very similar to the Filipino escabeche.

Ingredients:

  • 1 shallot sliced thin lengthwise or ¼ medium size onion sliced thin lengthwise
  • 2 thin slices of ginger root cut in sticks
  • 3 cloves garlic, sliced thin lengthwise
  • ½ green or red bell pepper sliced lengthwise (1/4 inch thick)
  • 1 carrot peeled and sliced thin in medallion or diagonal discs
  • 1 small Roma tomato cut in half crosswise then cut each half in four wedges (optional)
  • A few chunks of canned Pineapple Chunks or Tidbits + 1 TBS. juice (optional)
  • ¼ cup vinegar
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 tsp. light soy sauce
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 1 heaping tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup cool water

Dissolve the sugar and salt in the ¼ cup vinegar then add the soy sauce and set aside.  Dissolve the cornstarch in the ½ cup water in a separate bowl and set aside.

On medium heat, heat one tablespoon oil in a skillet and drop in the ginger root.  Saute until brown.  Remove the ginger root from the pan and discard but leave the oil that has the ginger root flavor.  Drop in the garlic, shallots and/or onions. Stir a few times then add the carrots.  Stir for a few seconds and add the green or red bell pepper and tomato wedges if using and the pineapples plus the 1 TBS. juice. 

Add the vinegar and sugar solution.  Let boil for a minute then stir to mix. Add the cornstarch dissolved in water and stir until thickened.  Taste and adjust the salt. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving dish or pour over the meat that you are using.

You can add the ginger root back before transferring to a dish if you like.

My husband is not fond of sweet dishes and never liked sweet and sour at a Chinese restaurant so I prefer to serve it separately.  He loves Chinese hot mustard though.

This escabeche is good as a dip or sauce over meat dishes like: