Escabeche Lapu Lapu is easy to make for family dinners yet fancy enough for special occasions. This Filipino-style sweet and sour fish with pickled vegetables and sweet and tangy sauce is delicious with steamed rice and sure to be a crowd favorite.
Escabeche Lapu-Lapu is one of my party favorites, but I don't make it often as grouper fish is not always available at the Asian supermarkets I frequent, especially ones that are big enough to feed a crowd.
Although I think a hefty lapu-lapu would be more impressive at a special gathering, this Filipino sweet and sour sauce dish is delicious regardless of the size and kind of fish you use. With crisply-fried whole fish topped with colorful bell peppers, shredded papaya, and a delightful and tangy sauce, it's sure to be a crowd favorite!
What is in escabeche
Escabeche is a dish popular in Latin and Mediterranean cuisine wherein meat or fish is marinated and cooked in acidic vinegar or citrus juices. Assorted vegetables such as peppers, onions, and carrots are also commonly added for color and texture.
Filipino escabeche is a local adaptation of this Spanish dish. It consists of fish that's either poached or fried fish, smothered in a sweet and tangy sauce, and garnished with tender-crisp vegetables such as bell peppers and shredded papaya.
This sweet and sour fish recipe has three components, frying the fish, preparing the vegetables, and making the sauce.
The fish
- The recipe uses lapu-lapu or grouper, but any firm-fleshed fish such as tilapia, red snapper (Maya Maya), tanigue, pampano, apahap, or talikitok will work.
- Season the cleaned fish with salt and pepper to taste and fry in hot oil until golden and crispy. You can also steam or poach if preferred.
The vegetables
- I like to use a colorful mix of shredded papaya, julienned bell peppers, garlic, onions, and ginger for flavor. Feel free to experiment with other vegetables great for pickling, such as carrots, red onions, radish (labanos), cucumbers, celery, and cauliflower.
- For the best texture, cook the vegetables until tender yet crisp.
The sweet and sour sauce
- The sauce is made of vinegar and sugar with added ketchup for color and cornstarch for thickening.
- If you prefer less acidic and more of a fruity taste, swap part or all of the vinegar with pineapple juice.
Quick tip
Cook the sauce a little thinner than your desired consistency as it will continue to thicken as it cools.
How to serve and store
- Serve with steamed rice for lunch or dinner.
- Although other variants of escabeche can be eaten cold, this Filipino version is best enjoyed hot and fresh or, at the very least, at room temperature, as the sauce tends to congeal as it stands. For the best texture, top the fried fish with the vegetables and sauce when ready to serve.
- To store leftovers, wrap the fish tightly in foil and keep the vegetables and sauce in separate containers. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Ingredients
- 1 (2 to 3 pounds) whole Lapu-Lapu
- salt and pepper to taste
- canola oil
- 1 onion, peeled and sliced thinly
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 thumb-size ginger, peeled and julienned
- ½ small green papaya, peeled and grated
- 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
- 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
- 1 cup vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Clean and gut the fish. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In a wide pan over medium heat, heat about 2-inch deep of oil. Add fish and cook, turning once or twice, until golden, crisp, and cooked through. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels. Keep warm.
- In a pan over medium heat, heat about 1 tablespoon of oil. Add onions, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened.
- Add grated papaya and bell peppers and cook, stirring regularly, until tender yet crisp. Remove from pan and keep warm.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine vinegar, sugar, and ketchup.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil.
- In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water. Stir until smooth. Add to the pan and continue to cook, whisking continuously, for about 1 to 2 minutes or until sauce thickens.
- Place fried fish on a serving platter and garnish with the vegetable mixture. When ready to serve, pour sweet and sour sauce on top.
Notes
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Fe Bordon Solorin says
Thank you for the recipe. I had cooked cooked according to recipe: and the result was really delicious! Again thank you.
Mel says
Your recipe is easy to understand and to follow. Thanks!
Melanie De Leon says
I made it and came out yummy! I dredged the fish in cornstarch before frying to make it crispy. Thank you very much Lalaine and God bless!!
Irene binas says
Paano po lutuin ang eskabetse?tnx po
L. A. Bad says
Hi, Lalaine. Thanks for sharing the recipe for this mouth-watering Pinoy dish. Tried to pin this on Pinterest but the site won't let me. Is there another way to do this that am not aware of?
Lynda P. Trero says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. 👏👏👍👍👍👍👍
Lalaine Manalo says
You're welcome. Enjoy!
Loida Rapada says
Thanks you so much for sharing your expertise, i love to experiment or variate some recipes just like you. More power and God bless!
Medworldis says
In the Philippines, it is common to use Tilapia for Escabeche but you can actually use any fish that is available. Other fishes commonly used for this dish are red snapper (Maya-maya), grouper (Lapu-lapu). Usually, any fish that are flat and wide and are good for frying should make a wonderful escabeche.
marlene bumagat says
v.nice.. thx po sa recipe & we enjoyed it w/ my wife
Lalaine Manalo says
You're welcome! I am glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Joi Barrios-Leblanc says
hi, my name is Joi Barrios-Leblanc, and I am wondering if I can use your photo of lapu-lapu escabeche in a poetry video.
thank
Lalaine Manalo says
Sure, Joi.
Joan says
Hi Lalaine. Just wanted to ask if you can substitute banana ketchup with ordinary ketchup. Tnx! I just made your maja blanca. It was delicious!
Lalaine says
Hello Joan,
Yes, you can! Just adjust the amount of sugar and vinegar as banana ketchup tends to be sweeter and less tangy than tomato.
bitter says
a response to lalaine,
you sounded like youve already experience being born again?
hahaha can you share what happen?
and it seems youve seen people who goes in hell? hahaha
share also what you saw
Wealth says
Dear Lalaine Manalo,
-You asked: "I am a Catholic and my roommate, G, is a Lutheran. Although religion has never played in our discussions before, my abstaining from meat for Lent has become a small bone of contention. The way he sees it, we follow God “by how we live and not by what we eat.” He believes that alms-giving and personal works of charity are more meaningful acts of penance than fasting and abstinence. I maybe not be willing to give up on Catholic practices I’ve been raised all my life but his ideas on faith have certainly given me food for thought. What do you think?"
-Response: It is not by doing (alms-giving, works, food abstinence, etc..) that you will be saved. It is ONLY by being born again. By accepting JESUS CHRIST as your Personal Savior and Lord. JESUS is not a religion. Anyone that leave this earth without JESUS in his heart goes straight to hell. Everybody has to accept HIM in his heart sometimes in this life and HE loves you. The fact that you are asked this above question means that you are looking for HIM.
If you are not born again yet, just say this prayer:
Lord JESUS I believe you are the Son of GOD. I believe you died at the Cross for my sins to give me life. Forgive for my sins. Please come into my heart and be my personal Lord and Savior.
Lalaine Manalo, if you pray this prayer in the sincerity of your heart and believe it. You are born again and your life will be changed for the best.
Be blessed.
grace basra says
Amen to Wealth,
I was born & raised Catholic too & was going to be a nun. Jesus is The Way, The Truth and The Life. No one cometh to the Father but by Him. John 14:6, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: It is the gift of God: Not of good works, lest any man should boast....We are created in Christ Jesus unto good works.After we die there is only Hell & Heaven. No purgatory. Accept Jesus Christ today...While God can be found & while we are alive. Do not wait till tomorrow. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ finished work today. It is done. There is a penalty for our sins. But Jesus who is the Only Begotten Son of God came down from heaven to save all sinners. Yes and He died once and for all.
Read who is the real Jesus Christ of the Bible. Isaiah 9:6, John 1:1,1:31:10-14, Revelation 19:13,16. Matthew 1:21-23. The Bible is the Word of God and according to it.. the Lamb of God for the sacrifice. Only Him can save us not works nor religion nor the priests or our sacrifices. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. John 3:16. Read what it says and what the Bible says. Do not believe me but read the Bible for yourself. God is good and He is not a respecter of man. He will come again to redeem His and to judge.Once you are saved no more condemnation. No more condemnation. You need to be born again. May the Lord God open your eyes to the truth. The Lord Jesus is waiting to hear from you today. Thank you,
G says
I've just recently discovered your website and am very happy I did 🙂 I am not a very experienced cook but your recipes are simple and easy to follow and the pictures just make my mouth water 😀 Thank you for sharing. I am also a Catholic and want to give my share of "food for thought" 🙂 I,too did not understand much of the practices we had in our Church but because we grew up with it so we just follow it,right? But I'm glad that I was curious enough to look for answers within our Church. As with everything that is done in our Church,including the kneeling and the standing during mass,fasting has a deeper meaning: it is to help us practice resistance against temptation,physically and spiritually. That is why it is not only meat that we can abstain from,it's from anything that can harm our spiritual life. Hope this helps 🙂
shobelyn says
Lalaine, this looks awesome. Thanks for the share.