Crispy Fried Fish Adobo
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 lbs. galunggong (mackerel scad), cleaned and gutted
- ¼ cup white or cane vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1-2 cups water
- 5 cloves garlic
- 3 pcs. dahon ng laurel (bay leaves)
- 1 tsp. whole peppercorns
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. sugar
- ½ cup cooking oil
PROCEDURE:
- In a large saucepan, soak the fish (with the larger pieces at the bottom) in the mixture of vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, salt and sugar. Let it sit in the refrigerator and marinate for 1 hour to overnight.
- After marinating, add water just enough to cover the fish. Put the saucepan on the stove and bring to a boil over high heat. Do not stir when it is not yet boiling.
- Lower the heat to medium and simmer covered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow the liquid to reduce by half. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Drain the liquid from fish adobo. Set aside the adobo sauce. In a separate pan, heat the cooking oil. Fry the fish per batch and do not overcrowd the pan. Occasionally flip each side until it turns golden brown and crispy.
- Remove the fish from the pan and place on paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
- Transfer the fish on a serving platter and douse on the adobo sauce. Serve with steamed rice. Enjoy!
**Number of Servings: 3 to 4
TIPS FROM ENZ:
- The adobo fish without frying is already a good viand on itself and can be best paired with fried egg and fried rice.
- When frying, make sure to completely drip off the adobo sauce so the fish will not stick on the pan and the oil will not splatter.
- Fry the fish at a gradual controlled heat to let the inner part achieve a crispy texture without burning or overcooking the outer part.
- You can use other meaty bone-in or fillet fishes like, tilapia, matambaka (bigeye scad), hito (catfish), dalag (mud fish) and daing na bangus (milkfish fillet).
- This can be paired with other dishes like pancit, dinengdeng (mixed exotic veggies) and lugaw (rice porridge).
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