Paksiw na Bangus recipe (Quick and Easy guide)

Paksiw na Bangus recipe is not only budget-friendly but it’s also one of the most delicious ways to cook milkfish. Just simply stew the ingredients in spices and vinegar, then you’ll get a super flavorful and moist fish dish. Serve with steamed rice for a healthy dish that will surely please your taste buds and nourish your body with nutrients.

Introduce about Paksiw na Bangus

Paksiw na Bangus is a Filipino recipe and it stands for “milkfish stewed in vinegar”. Many other Filippinos’ main dishes also use vinegar as one of the main ingredients.

So what exactly is a Paksiw? It’s a way of stewing fish in water and vinegar, with finger chilies, peppercorns, salt, ginger and garlic. Some regions in the Philippines would reduce the sour liquid and cook until it’s almost dry, while others prefer the Paksiw version with more sauce.

Paksiw na Bangus recipe useful tips

Tips for choosing the right bangus

The fish’s quality is the key to have a best-tasting Paksiw na Bangus. Your “mataba” bangus should have a thick band of stomach fat. This will make the dish more rich and flavorful. The bangus’s freshness also contributes to the tastiness of this recipe. That’s why when choosing the bangus or milkfish in the market, remember to check the fish’s gills and eyes. The gills should be in deep red color and intact. For the eyes, they should be clear and show no signs of redness.

Scale or not

When buying fish at Asian markets, they’ll usually gut, clean and cut the fish at your request. But be careful and tell them if you want the fish to be scaled or not. For this Paksiw na Bangus cooking technique, you can choose to descale the fish or keep them on. It’s just a matter of contention and it’s entirely up to you. Regardless of what you choose, the dish will turn out just as delicious.

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Ingredients and Substitutions

Aside from the main ingredient which is the bangus, you can also add other meats to the dish. Chicken, pork or tilapia are the most common types of meats to be used in the paksiw cooking technique.

Vegetables also make a big difference in cooking this dish. Eggplant is the most widely used, but you can also add ampalaya, okra, green chilis or bitter gourd. If you use ampalaya, remember not to stir the paksiw na bangus sauce. This will help you avoid mixing the ampalaya’s bitterness with the sauce.

Vegetables preparation tips

You might also want to maintain the vibrant color of the vegetables. The secret is to blanch in unsalted water and then submerge them in ice-cold water immediately. This technique will not only help the veggies maintain their vibrancy but also the crispness.

Reduce the acidity from the vinegar

The use of vinegar will give the dish a definitive and distinctive taste. But for some people the vinegary taste might be too sharp and mouth-puckering. There’s a simple trick to fix this problem: at the end of the cooking, add 1 or 2 teaspoons of oil to the stew. The addition of fat will add more flavor and mellow out the acidity.

Ingredients for Paksiw na Bangus recipe

• Milkfish (1 1/2 lbs.)
• Eggplant (1 large piece, chopped into 1” thick wedges)
• Canola oil (1 teaspoon)
• Peppercorns (1 teaspoon)
• Salt (1 1/2 teaspoons)
• Finger chili peppers (3 pieces)
• Water (1 cup)
• Vinegar (1/2 cup)
• Ginger (1 thumb-size, pounded and cut into thirds)
• Garlic (4 pieces, peeled and pounded)
• Onion (1 piece, peeled and cut into half moons)

Step by step Paksiw na Bangus recipe

This recipe will make a total of 25 minutes for both preparation and cooking. With the amount of prepared ingredients, you will be able to make 4 servings. If you want to feed more people, you can easily double or triple the ingredients as you please. This recipe also accepts other types of fish.

Step 1: Gut and clean the milkfish, keep or remove the scales. Thoroughly drain then cut the fish into serving pieces.

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Step 2: Prepare a wide pot, then arrange peppercorns, finger chili peppers, ginger, garlic, eggplant and onion on the pot. Don’t forget to add some salt and cooking oil. Arrange the milkfish slices on top.

Step 3: Pour in vinegar and water. Apply heat, cover and simmer until the fish is cooked through (10 – 15 minutes). You’ll notice the liquid will be reduced. If you add long green peppers, cover the pot and simmer for 5 more minutes over medium heat.

Step 4: Remove from heat and transfer the dish to a serving plate. Serve hot.

Serve and store Paksiw na Bangus

Paksiw na Bangus can be served as a main dish for dinner or lunch. Traditionally, the dish is paired with fish sauce (for dipping) and steamed rice. If you want a little bit of spiciness, feel free to add some chopped chilies.

Thanks to the addition of vinegar, the dish will keep well for days. Just simply store the stewed fish in an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

For the leftovers, reheat them in a saucepan with medium heat. You can reheat the leftovers in the microwave at 165-degrees F for around 2 – 3 minutes.

You can also drain the sauce and pan-fry the fish to obtain a crispy surface. This will turn the leftovers into a whole “new” dish, which has a “daing na bangus” flavor and can be served with sinangag for a healthy breakfast.

Everyone who tries this Paksiw na Bangus recipe will love it. This dish is tasty, hearty and full of nutrients that will give you the energy needed to start your day. If you try this dish, be sure to share your thoughts with Bourbon O in the comment section. Visit our website regularly to discover more delicious recipes!