Lenten Recipes: Pescado Al Fresco

One of my favorite dishes to order at Bigby's Restaurant is their Pescado Al Fresco (which means fresh fish). It's a fillet of fish, pan fried, served with pesto and onion jus, then topped with crispy potato strings.

I made my own version by mixing the crushed potato crisps in the flour for dredging, deep fried and served with rustic salsa mix of chopped garlic, tomato, basil and olive oil. Simple Onion Jus is made from onions and chicken stock. It's quick and easy to make.

You can make big batches of the salsa and store in jars in the fridge. This also great with baguettes too.


Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup crushed potato crisps
• 1 cup flour
• Salt and white pepper
• 1/2 kilo cream dory fillets
• Oil for deep frying
• 2 cloves of chopped roasted garlic
• Handful of chopped basil leaves
• 2-3 tomatoes chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt to taste

Mix the crushed potato crisps and flour. Season the fillets with salt and pepper and dredge in flour mixture.

 Deep fry until done and drain in paper towels. Set aside in a medium deep dish.

Onion Jus Recipe:

Sweat 1/4 cup of chopped white onions in 1 tbsp. olive oil. 

Add 1 1/4 cup of chicken stock and season with salt or you may use 1 1/2 cup water and 1 tsp. chicken powder (not chicken cube)

Mix the garlic, basil, tomatoes in olive oil. Season with salt to taste. 

Spoon some of this mixture on top of the fillets and pour the onion jus on the sides. Serve hot.

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Recipe: Guinataang Fish Paksiw

Paksiw is a term used for any meat, or leftover meat (as in lechon) cooked or braised in vinegar, garlic and or ginger.

This is different from sinigang which soup characterized by its sour flavor most often associated with tamarind. Some may use tomatoes, guava or kamias or iba. Anyway, getting back to paksiw, this recipe is a favorite of mine and recently a favorite of my parents as well. I love eating this with garlic rice for breakfast with a cup of steaming hot coffee. It's practically easy to prepare and cooks very quickly.

I'm using my favorite Sarangani brand milkfish or Bangus fillet because it doesn't have that fishy (langsa) smell. Again I bought mine at SM Savemore for P68/500g a pack. All meat, no bones. I used 1/4kg or 250g in this recipe.

Ingredients

• 250g Bangus fillet
• 1 tbsp cooking oil 
• Thumb sized ginger sliced
• 3-5 cloves garlic, pounded and peeled
• 1 spada chili or jalapeño (optional)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 3 tbsp white vinegar (you may adjust according to taste) 
• 1/4 cup water
• Patis or fish sauce to taste
• A pinch or two of dry sinigang mix (just get that sour fruity taste)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk 

Sauté ginger and garlic in oil until fragrant

Lay the fish fillet on top

Add the vinegar, water, bay leaf and cracked black pepper.

Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes unto the fish is cooked through without stirring or touching it. Open and season with patis to taste. You may stir the mixture at this point.

Sprinkle the sinigang mix ,

Finally add the coconut milk. Give it another boil then turn it off once it starts to bubble.

Serve hot with lots of garlic rice.

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