Paksiw na Isda (Pickled Fish Stew)

The photo may not look appetizing but Paksiw na Isda or Pickled Fish stew is a comfort dish for a lot of Filipinos. It is usually made with bangus or milkfish or any firm white-fleshed fish like sardines. I used to be really not fond of dish. I only like the sauce mixed with pork fat oil and drizzled over rice. Oh, it may not sound good but it tastes divine.

I got a couple of bangus fish from my friend, Elena, who's selling Filipino products here in Korea. I was wondering what to do with the fish until I remembered about paksiw. So I went on a search on the internet and found the recipe that sounded like how my mom would do it. I found one and tried it out. I had my pork fat oil too and the first taste was heaven. It brough back a flood of memories, of lunches with long gone elderly relatives.

In my family, there is usually fried pork chops or pork slices that accompany a paksiw meal. Sometimes, my mom would buy chicharon or pork cracklings and we would eat them with the paksiw. It goes like this, take a piece of fish, put on top of a spoonful of rice, load it in your mouth and then take a bite of chicharon. Everything comes together in a wonderful mixture of texture and taste. So if you're adventurous enough to try this very Filipino dish, here's the recipe.

Paksiw na Isda

1 whole milkfish, gutted, scaled and sliced into 2-inch pieces
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. salt
1 knob of ginger, peeled and sliced
2 whole cloves of garlic
1 japanese eggplant, cut into 2-inch diagonal slices
1 bitter melon, cut like the eggplant (OPTIONAL: I don't really like bitter melon so I leave this out.
2 tbsp. of pork fat oil
2 banana chili peppers (Optional if you don't want the heat)

1. In a non-reactive pot, place the ginger slices and garlic cloves on the bottom of the pan. Add the fish pieces on top. Add the vinegar and turn on the heat. Cover and wait for it to boil.

2. When the vinegar starts to boil, add the salt and the water. Lower down the heat and simmer. After 10 minutes, add the eggplant, banana peppers and bitter melon. Simmer until the veggies are cooked. When done, add the pork oil on top.

Note: This dish is best enjoyed after a day or two in the fridge. Usually my mother would make this a day before she plans to serve it to us. The time in the fridge makes all the flavors meld and the dish takes one a different level.