Paksiw na Bangus is a Filipino dish made of milkfish (bangus) slowly simmered in spices and vinegar. It’s not only one of the easiest Filipino recipe to make but possibly the healthiest too!
What is paksiw?
Paksiw is a Filipino word that means ‘to cook in vinegar’ while bangus is the Filipino term for milkfish.
Admittedly, paksiw na bangus or any form of paksiw (except for Lechon paksiw) for that matter was not on my list of favorite food growing up. My Mama often cooks it, yes but it was probably more for herself rather than for her kids.
Paksiw na isda is, understandably, more catered to the mature palates. Many say that as you age you develop strange err, new eating habits. I guess I have reached that stage because here I am now that I’m writing a recipe for paksiw.
Happy to report that, I’ve also been craving for Dineng deng quite often. So, hello adulthood 3.0!
How to cook Paksiw na Bangus
So while my kids are happily munching on their pork adobo and Lechon, let’s make paksiw! Here are a few tips on how to cook it.
- Clean the bangus thoroughly. For convenience, ask the fishmonger to do the hard part for you–descaling, degutting, and cutting. All that is left to do is to remove the dark red blood near the bones. That thing doesn’t taste good for paksiw. Use the pointed part of a small knife and carefully cut it.
- For a tastier paksiw, add fish sauce and a little bit of sugar. Yes, sugar. Just a touch. It balances the sourness of the vinegar while the fish sauce adds umami flavor.
- Pour vegetable oil before the paksiw finishes cooking to bring all the flavors together. It makes the sour sauce richer too!
Hungry for more Filipino recipes? Try these out!
- Bagoong Rice
- Escabecheng Isda (Sweet and Sour Fish)
- Pork Igado Recipe
- Chicken Binagoongan
- Monggo Guisado with Shrimp
- Ginataang Gulay
- Chicken Inasal
- Poqui Poqui
Paksiw na Bangus
Ingredients
- 1 thumb ginger (peeled and sliced)
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled and crushed)
- 1 small onion (sliced)
- 1 tsp whole black pepper
- 1 piece bay leaf
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- ½ cup vinegar (see note 1)
- 1 cup water (add more if preferred)
- 450 grams / 1 large bangus (milkfish)
- 1 small ampalaya (sliced, optional)
- salt (to taste)
- ¼ tsp sugar
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- fried talong/ eggplant (optional)
Instructions
- Clean bangus (milkfish) by removing the scales, gills, and guts. Slice into 3-4 pieces, diagonally. Remove the dark red blood near the bones using the pointed part of a small knife. Make sure not to puncture the belly part. Rub with salt all over to remove the slime then rinse well with running water.
- Place the ingredients In a pot in this order: ginger, garlic, onion, whole black pepper, bay leaf, green chili, sugar, and ampalaya. Arrange the bangus on top. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- Pour vinegar, water, and fish sauce. Cover and let boil. Lower the heat to medium and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes or until fish is cooked. Taste and adjust salt, to taste. Drizzle oil on top and stir gently to combine. Serve with rice and fried eggplant/talong.
Recipe Notes & Tips:
- Vinegar can be reduced up to 1/4 cup if you prefer a less sour paksiw.
- Other types of vinegar you can use distilled vinegar, white wine vinegar, coconut vinegar, and rice vinegar (I recommend the manuka brand).
