Pro Tips
**Chef's Tips & Troubleshooting:**
- For fried fish, score the skin lightly so the heat penetrates evenly and prevents curling.
- Fry fish over medium-high heat without moving it until the skin releases naturally from the pan.
- Add fish sauce gradually when cooking seafood — its strong flavor can easily overpower delicate fish.
- For squid, cook quickly over high heat — it turns rubbery if simmered longer than 3 minutes.
Cooking Tips
Seafood cooks quickly — remove it from heat the moment it turns opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Overcooking makes it tough and rubbery. Pat shellfish dry before adding to the pan so they sear rather than steam. A hot, quick cook preserves their natural sweetness.
Ingredient Substitutions
Short on time? A pressure cooker (Instant Pot) can reduce cooking time by roughly half for most braised and stewed Filipino dishes. Reduce liquid slightly since less evaporates.
Storage & Reheating
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days. The flavors often deepen overnight, making leftovers even more delicious. Seafood dishes are best consumed within 1–2 days. Reheat gently — microwave on low power or warm in a covered skillet over low heat to avoid overcooking. Do not refreeze thawed seafood dishes. Once reheated, consume immediately and do not re-refrigerate. Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding a splash of water or broth if the sauce has thickened during storage. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each.
Pesang Isda
Pesang Isda — fresh seafood prepared Filipino-style with garlic, vinegar, and calamansi. Briny, savory, and deeply flavorful.
Instructions
- Rub salt on the fish and set aside.
- Bring to a simmer a frying pan then pour-in 6 tablespoons of cooking oil.
- Fry the fish until the color of one side turns golden brown. Flip to fry the other side then turn off the heat and set the fish aside.
- Heat a cooking pot and pour-in 2 tablespoons of cooking oil.
- When the oil is hot enough, sauté garlic, ginger and onion.
- Put-in the fish sauce and whole peppercorn then stir.
- Pour-in the rice washing then let boil,
- Put-in the fried fish then simmer for 10 minutes in low heat.
- Mix in the chopped green onions and bok choy and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving plate then serve.
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Pro Tips & Troubleshooting
- For fried fish, score the skin lightly so the heat penetrates evenly and prevents curling.
- Fry fish over medium-high heat without moving it until the skin releases naturally from the pan.
- Add fish sauce gradually when cooking seafood — its strong flavor can easily overpower delicate fish.
- For squid, cook quickly over high heat — it turns rubbery if simmered longer than 3 minutes.
Cooking Tips
Pat shellfish dry before adding to the pan so they sear rather than steam. A hot, quick cook preserves their natural sweetness.
Substitutions
Storage & Reheating
Seafood dishes are best consumed within 1–2 days. Reheat gently — microwave on low power or warm in a covered skillet over low heat to avoid overcooking.
Do not refreeze thawed seafood dishes. Once reheated, consume immediately and do not re-refrigerate.
Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding a splash of water or broth if the sauce has thickened during storage. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each.
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