Paksiw na Isda

Paksiw na Isda is a type of Filipino dish where fish is poached in vinegar seasoned with fish sauce and finger chillies. The name of the dish is derived from the word “paksiw” which is a cooking method where meat or seafood is simmered in vinegar hence you will see this term not only used on fish but also pork.

Paksiw na Isda is a type of Filipino dish where fish is poached in vinegar seasoned with fish sauce and finger chillies. The name of the dish is derived from the word “paksiw” which is a cooking method where meat or seafood is simmered in vinegar hence you will see this term not only used on fish but also pork. Though all paksiw dishes look differently to each other like this post, paksiw na baboy and lechon paksiw they contain the similar ingredient which is vinegar.

I guess I had told a million of times that Filipinos love sour dishes hence you see a lot of vinegar, lemon or tamarind in Filipino dishes and even in dips called “sawsawan“, this is nothing different. My mom used to cook this a lot when I was younger and I never did liked it because it’s too sour and I did not like the idea of fish stew during that time. But as you grow older I guess your taste buds tends to change and your preferences gets wider, so from time to time you look for dishes like this which I do crave now. This is one of those dishes that taste better as they mature so I suggest that you try this out consume it the next day.

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Paksiw na Isda

  • Author: Raymund
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 20 mins
  • Total Time: 35 mins
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Filipino

Description

Paksiw na Isda is a type of Filipino dish where fish is poached in vinegar seasoned with fish sauce and finger chillies. The name of the dish is derived from the word “paksiw” which is a cooking method where meat or seafood is simmered in vinegar hence you will see this term not only used on fish but also pork.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 800g any type fish (works well with milkfish), if large fish is used cut into 1.5 inch thick pieces
  • 1/2 thumb sized ginger, thinly sliced and pounded
  • 3/4 cup vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 eggplants, sliced
  • 5 pcs green finger chillies
  • 4 pcs bay leaves
  • 1/2 tbsp whole peppercorns
  • fish sauce
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 6 cloves garlic, pounded

Instructions

  1. In a pot mix together vinegar, water, fish sauce, garlic, ginger and peppercorn. Bring to a boil.
  2. While boiling add fish, eggplant, finger chillies, bay leaves and onion. Cover pot then put heat in medium then simmer for 15 minutes.
  3. Serve with hot rice.

 

Recommended

19 Responses

  1. Nenette Popiela-West says:

    I thought you are suppose to simmer it, Simmering adds to the flavor, as it tastes so much better.

    • Raymund says:

      Yes we simmer it but only for short amount of time because fish is delicate. What ads more flavour is storing it for a couple of days before consumption like adobo it develops more flavour as it ages.

  2. elizz says:

    yum! craving for it right now 🙂

  3. Yummy fish stew! I love the added eggplant here 🙂

  4. Alex says:

    We Portuguese use vinegar for seasoning, but not exactly for poaching, so my first thought was “it must be so sour!”, but as I was going through the recipe I thought: I could really use a spoon of this right now. Yum.

  5. Kristy says:

    I’m all about vinegar. I love how it tastes. I bet this would be delicious!

  6. What a great idea to use vinegar for poaching!

  7. Love the eggplant in the stew. Like the idea of poaching in vinegar.

  8. Eha says:

    Something totally new to me, so can’t wait to try!!

  9. mjskit says:

    Poaching in vinegar – that’s quite interesting. By the time you add the other ingredients and cook it down, does the broth still taste like vinegar? It looks delicious and very healthy, but my problem is handling the vinegar. If it’s too strong, I tend to choke. I guess that’s why I asking the question. Thanks!

    • Raymund says:

      It will be very sour but not as strong as raw vinegar, usually this is eaten with rice and a bit of the vinegar sauce is poured over the hot rice

  10. Ashley says:

    I think you can also add Bittermelon there too..my dad always cook this and he never really used bay leaves or bayleaves, he also add a little sugar in here to make it a little bit sweeter and better on taste. It’s also good to know some other ways to cook it also :>

  11. Rosa mila Valera says:

    It’s perfect with milk fish I use fillet of snapper but it’s not a
    s delicious as bangus(Milkfish) if you’re like me enjoy it with hot chilli and steam rice

  12. dhorz says:

    great recipe thanks!

  13. Fe Cabral says:

    What brand of vinegar is best for this recipe?

  14. Mangibin says:

    Thanks a lot!!! Made it with galunggong ☺️.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.