Escabeche (Fried Fish with Sweet and Sour Sauce)

We had the Escabeche for lunch today -- at 3pm! Here's the side story, Darwin stayed all night at the office - from 10am yesterday to 2:00pm today. When I called him this morning he said that he might have his lunch here so I thawed the fish by 11am. It was so frozen it took an hour before it finally thawed!

Anyway, I was in a hurry already I just read the recipe once and go on with it without taking a second peek at my "kodigo". As expected I missed a procedure, I wasn't able to dredge the fish in flour! Oh what the heck! I just thought it won't make any difference! LOL

Making the sweet and sour sauce was easy. But if you prefer to skip it, you can use ready mixed Sweet and Sour Sauce instead which are available in supermarkets.

Darwin's Verdict: 3 stars

Comments: "May nalimutan ka no?! (I was thinking he noticed the fish not dredged in flour... so I said yes.) Hindi mo nilagyan ng asin yung isda no? Pero ok lang may sauce naman e!"

My Verdict: I actually didn't rub any salt on the fish instead I used Maggi Magic Sarap on it. When I told this to Darwin he was quick to tease back: "Hindi umubra yung 'magic'???" LOL

I thought the Escabeche was ok for a first timer. The 'magic' may have not worked but the sauce was tasty enough to let it pass.




Source: Periplus Mini Cookbooks: Filipino Favorites

• 1 kg (2lb) whole red snapper
• 1/2 cup plain flour, for dredging
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 medium sized carrot, peeled and cut into 1-cm (1/2 inch) rounds
• 1 medium green capsicum, cut into 1-cm (1/2 in) strips
• 1 medium red capsicum, cut into 1-cm (1/2 in) strips
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled and cut into 1-cm (1/2 in) rounds
• fresh coriander leaves (cilantro), to garnish

1 Score the snapper all over and dredge in flour. Heat oil in a wok and fry the fish about 10 minutes on one side and 6 to 7 minutes on the other side, until completely cooked and fish flesh is no longer glossy. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.

2 Combine sugar, vinegar, water and tomato ketchup in a saucepan. Add carrot, cook for about 5 minutes, then add capsicums and cucumber. Simmer, without stirring, for a further 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender yet firm.

3 Arrange fish on a serving platter. Pour vinegar mixture over fish. Arrange vegetables around the fish and garnish with fresh coriander.

Buffalo Chicken Wings

Source: allrecipes.com

• oil for deep frying
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup hot sauce
• 1 dash ground black pepper
• 1 dash garlic powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 10 chicken wings

1 Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). The oil should be just enough to cover wings entirely, an inch or so deep. Combine the butter, hot sauce, pepper and garlic powder in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir together and heat until butter is melted and mixture is well blended. Remove from heat and reserve for serving.
2 In a small bowl mix together the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. Place chicken wings in a large nonporous glass dish or bowl and sprinkle flour mixture over them until they are evenly coated. Cover dish or bowl and refrigerate for 60 to 90 minutes.
3 Fry coated wings in hot oil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until parts of wings begin to turn brown. Remove from heat, place wings in serving bowl, add hot sauce mixture and stir together. Serve.


Red hot chicken wings!!! I wonder how hot is this, haven't tried it yet Im still waiting for my husband to come home. But basing from the ingredients (cayenne pepper, paprika, tabasco, ground pepper, garlic powder), this I think is blazing HOT!


**I only fried few pieces of chicken wings for pictorial purposes. I want to serve Darwin later newly fried pieces so its more crispier. =)

Darwin's Verdict: pending



My Verdict: Obviously I ate dinner ahead because Darwin has yet to come home. =(
The buffalo wings was a disappointment. It's not that hot and I think I put very little amount of salt as the meat is quite tasteless. The coat however is ok. You can tell the presence of paprika and cayenne pepper in it. My rate? 3/5.

Stuffed Squid

Source: halo-halo and came up with this version! Here are my guides:

• Recipesof NanayHelen.com
• Iskandals.com

• 5 large squids
• 2 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup finely minced onion
• 3 pcs crabsticks, chopped
• 1/3 cup minced tomatoes
• 1 cup grated carrots
• oil
• butter
  
• grated cheese

• 1 egg
• flour
• bread crumbs
• salt and pepper to taste

1 Pull out and discard cellophane backbone and jawlike bone on the mouth of the squid. Wash individually. Set aside. Clean the head and tentacles of thee squid chop and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2 Saute garlic, onion and tomatoes in oil. Add the chopped tentacles and crab sticks. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Stir fry for 5 minutes. Add carrots, stir frying for 2 more minutes. Set aside mixture and let it cool then mix the grated cheese with it.
3 Using a spoon, stuff the squids with the mixture and seal ends with toothpick.
Tip: do not overfill the squid as the stuffing swells as it cooks.
4 Dip the stuffed squids on egg then roll it on flour then on the bread crumbs. Fry it on butter over medium to high heat for about 2-3 minutes to remain tender.
5 Place in a platter, make few slices through the meat and serve with vegetable side dish and soup.


Tip from Iskandals.com: Peel the outer colored skin off of the squid as it tends to toughen with cooking.


Dinner is served! I fried only two squids for myself and for pictorial purposes because Darwin went home late.



It's my first time to try this in the kitchen and I swear it'll take some time before I make something like this again! Not that it doesn't taste good, but the preparation takes so much time (the chopping and mincing of ingredients) not to mention cleaning the squid is indeed a very messy and tedious job!

Tip: buy a cleaned squid in supermarkets instead to spare you the mess.

Darwin's Verdict: 4 stars

Comments: He and Kent said it's good. I'm just not sure if they are only being nice or they're just too hungry to care. LOL!

My Verdict: The stuff mixture is so tasty... only a bit juicy. The juice squirted when I sliced the meat. I think it's because I didn't allow the stuffing mixture to cool down first before I added the grated cheese that's why it melted and mixed up with the tomato and squid juice. But overall, it's actually good.