Sarciadong Isda is a delicious Filipino dish made of fried fish simmered in tomatoes, garlic, onions, and eggs.
Not exactly sure what the word ‘sarciado’ really means but I found two on Google: to ‘cook in thick sauce’ and ‘tomatoes’ or ‘salsa’ in Spanish. Both are befitting since this dish does have a thick sauce made of fresh tomatoes.
Sarciado is made by frying the fish first until crispy. This gives the sauce a unique earthy flavor. Fillet or whole fish can be used but I prefer the latter because it has so much flavor.
Basic Sarciado Ingredients
- onion
- garlic
- plump ripe tomatoes sliced
- fish sauce
- water
- fried fish—other types of fish that can be used are tilapia, Asian sea bass, milkfish or bangus, dalagang bukid, tuna etc.
- eggs
- ground black pepper to taste
How to cook Sarciadong Isda
- Season fish with salt then fry both sides in heated oil until brown. Set aside.
- In a pan with heated oil, saute onions and garlic until translucent. Add tomatoes. Continue cooking until wilted about 2 minutes. Season with fish sauce. Let it simmer until aromatic then add water. Simmer for 1 minute.
- Add fried fish. Cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes over medium heat. Flip on the other side to make sure that all sides of the fish are immersed in the sauce.
- Add beaten eggs then season with black pepper. Continue cooking for 2 more minutes and it’s done. Serve immediately over warm rice. So good!
With eggs? Yes, that’s what makes this dish unique. It gives the sauce a velvety texture and also balances the acidity of the tomatoes.
To bring out the flavor of the tomatoes, they must be sauteed until wilted. Once the juices have come out, season with fish sauce. Add more water for a saucier Sarciado or just enough to make a thick sauce.
More Filipino recipes to add to your menu!
Watch the video on how to make Sarciadong Isda
Sarciadong Isda
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 400 grams whole fish (i used red snapper)
- 1 small onion (sliced)
- 3 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 6 plump ripe tomatoes (sliced)
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (adjust as necessary)
- ¾ cup water
- 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
- ground black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Season fish with salt then fry both sides in heated oil until brown. Set aside. See recipe notes for other types of fish you can use.
- In a pan with heated oil, saute onions and garlic until translucent. Add tomatoes. Continue cooking until wilted about 2 minutes. Season with fish sauce. Let it simmer until aromatic then add water. Simmer for 1 minute.
- Add fried fish. Cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes over medium heat. Flip on the other side to make sure that all sides of fish are immersed in the sauce.
- Add beaten eggs then season with black pepper. Continue cooking for 2 more minutes and it's done. Serve immediately with rice.
Recipe Notes & Tips:
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