Fried fish is only good the day it is made but it is perfect for sarciado (pomodoro sauce / sauteed tomatoes), it means cooked with or braised in sauteed tomatoes.
I love everything with tomatoes and this dish is one of my favorite Filipino food. It’s so easy too. If you are using fresh fish, cook the tomatoes in the same pan you used to fry the fish after discarding the excess oil.
It is important that you use very ripe tomatoes, it’s perfect for this kind of dish and they make the cooking time shorter, less time waiting for the toamtoes to get tender but I have a trick to this: I use a potato masher to speed up cooking time.
Growing up we always have fish everyday, particularly fried fish, it’s a good accompaniment to vegetable dishes. ; and sometimes there are leftover fried fish and this is what my mother usually does to it.
It’s very easy and yet so good, you’ll never know that you’re eating leftover. In fact I think it tastes better when made with leftover fried fish. You may use any whole fried fish or even fish fillet with skin ( definitely with skin on, sear it till the skin is browned and crunchy).
FISH SARCIADO
Fried fish braised in Sautéed Fresh Tomatoes
Adjust the ingredients for sautéed tomato to the number or size of fish you’re going to use for this recipe
Ingredients:
Fried fish
5 medium tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
2 green chili peppers, (cut the tip off)
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon fish sauce
olive oil or any cooking oil for sauté-ing
3/4 cup water
note: If starting with fresh fish, fry it first then discard the oil but leave about a tablespoon in the pan then use the same pan to saute the tomatoes.
Directions:
Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan, saute garlic, onion, cook for a minute or until onions are transparent. Add the diced tomatoes, season with salt and pepper saute until tender, then add tomato paste (if using) and water and fish sauce.
Add in the green chilis. Bring to a boil and lower heat to simmer until the tomatoes are really soft, you can mash the tomato using the back of a wooden spoon or potato masher to speed up the cooking time.
Add the fried fish and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Turn off heat and transfer to a serving platter.
Serve with hot steamed rice
Happy Cooking!
Olive
Fish Sarciado (Fish with Sauteed Fresh Tomatoes)
Ingredients
- ADJUST THE INGREDIENTS FOR SAUTÉED TOMATO TO THE NUMBER OR SIZE OF FISH YOU’RE GOING TO USE FOR THIS RECIPE
- FRIED FISH
- 5 MEDIUM TOMATOES DICED
- 1 TEASPOON TOMATO PASTE
- 2 CLOVES GARLIC MINCED
- 1 SMALL ONION MINCED
- 2 GREEN CHILI PEPPERS (CUT THE TIP OFF)
- SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE
- 1 TEASPOON FISH SAUCE
- OLIVE OIL OR ANY COOKING OIL FOR SAUTÉ-ING
- 3/4 CUP WATER
- NOTE: IF STARTING WITH FRESH FISH FRY IT FIRST THEN DISCARD THE OIL BUT LEAVE ABOUT A TABLESPOON IN THE PAN THEN USE THE SAME PAN TO SAUTE THE TOMATOES.
Instructions
- HEAT ABOUT A TABLESPOON OF OLIVE OIL IN A PAN, SAUTE GARLIC, ONION, COOK FOR A MINUTE OR UNTIL ONIONS ARE TRANSPARENT. ADD THE DICED TOMATOES, SEASON WITH SALT AND PEPPER SAUTE UNTIL TENDER, THEN ADD TOMATO PASTE (IF USING) AND WATER AND FISH SAUCE.
- ADD IN THE GREEN CHILIS. BRING TO A BOIL AND LOWER HEAT TO SIMMER UNTIL THE TOMATOES ARE REALLY SOFT, YOU CAN MASH THE TOMATO USING THE BACK OF A WOODEN SPOON OR POTATO MASHER TO SPEED UP THE COOKING TIME.
- ADD THE FRIED FISH AND COOK FOR ABOUT 2-3 MINUTES ON EACH SIDE. TURN OFF HEAT AND TRANSFER TO A SERVING PLATTER.
- SERVE WITH HOT STEAMED RICE