Escabetche

Everytime we go to a Carenderia there is always an Escabeche menu available. It is a Fried Fish poured with red thick sauce with bell pepper, sibuyas bombay, etc. on top on it. So what is Escabeche anyway? Where did it get its name? Did the Filipinos invented it?
 I found this interesting information from, where else but in Wikipedia, An online Encylopedia. Here it is:



Escabeche is a typical Mediterranean cuisine which refers to both a dish of poached or fried fish (escabeche of chicken, rabbit or pork is common in Spain) that is marinated in an acidic mixture before serving, and to the marinade itself. The dish is common in Spanish, Salvadoran, Panamanian, Peruvian, Philippine,Puerto Rican, Mexican and Guatemalan cuisine, and popular in Catalonia, Portugal and Provence. Influences of the dish appear as far as Asia-Pacific with adjustments to local food staples. It is usually served cold after marinating in a refrigerator overnight or longer. The acid in the marinade is usually vinegar but can also include citrus juice. Escabeche is a popular presentation of canned or potted preserved fish, such as tuna, bonito or sardines. In the New World, versions of the basic marinade are often used with other foods than fish and meats, for example green bananas (Puerto Rico), jalapeño peppers (Mexico), etc. The origin of the word escabeche is Persian, and was brought to Spain by the Arabs during the Moorish conquests. The word derives from al-sikbaj, the name of a popular meat dish that was cooked in a sweet and sour sauce, usually vinegar and honey or date molasses.


The dish is also known as "escoveitch" or "escoveech fish" in Jamaica, and is marinated in a sauce of vinegar, onions, chayote, carrots and scotch bonnet peppers overnight, since it is a traditional breakfast dish. And as "escabecio", "scapece" or "savoro" in Italy, "savoro" in Greece and "scabetche" in North Africa.

The dish is not to be confused with an unrelated soup made from chicken, onion, and spices and served in Belize, sometimes referred to as Belizean escabeche. However like the other escabeches, Belizean escabeche is based upon an acidic marinade—in this instance, onions marinated in vinegar.

Here is the recipe (Filipino Style)

Ingredients

1 large fish (lapu-lapu, talakitok or apahap), cleaned
1 medium-sized green papaya, grated (juice squeezed out, flesh washed in salt-and-water mixture)
1 large onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch dissolve in water (optional)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp ginger strips
3 tbsp sugar
1 cup vinegar
a pinch of salt
oil for frying and sauteing

Procedures

1. After cleanging the fish, rub salt all over it and under the gills. Leave for 1/2 hour, then fry. Drain and put in serving dish. Set aside but keep warm.

2. Make sauce by combining salt, sugar and vinegar in a saucepan. Let boil, stirring occassionally. Thicken with cornstarch, if desired. Set aside.

3. In a pan, saute garlic, ginger strips and onion. Add bell pepper and grated papaya. Saute until half-cooked.

4. While fish is still warm, top with sauteed papaya and spices. Pour vinegar sauce on fish before serving.