Cardillong Isda

Cardillong Isda is an old Filipino dish that is very popular due to its simple preparation and availability of ingredients.  In the Philippines, it is a way to re-cook left-over fried fish. But whether using leftover or not, fish is fried beforehand to prevent from falling apart while cooking in the sauce.  Cardillo is almost similar to Sarciado. The difference between the two is that Cardillo contains srambled eggs mixed to the sauce while Sarciado is cooked without the eggs. In both dishes, fried fish is simmered in a sauce which consists mainly of garlic, onions, ginger & tomatoes. The secret to a good cardillo or sarciadong isda is to use the same oil (where you fried the fish) in sautéing, so that all the other ingredients can absorb the fish flavor.

This Filipino dish is so simple yet so delicious & nutritious! Try it!

Prep Time: 10 mins          Cook Time: ~30 mins           Servings: 6-8                              

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized whole golden pompano, cleaned, gutted and each cut into 4 pieces (You can use other fish like bangus, maya-maya, cod, tilapia, or scad)
• 5 Tbsp Light olive oil
• 2 big tomatoes, washed, seeds removed and chopped
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ginger, minced
• 1 ½  cups water
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 stalks green onions, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and sliced into rings (optional)

Procedure

1. Sprinkle fish with salt. Let sit for about 15 minutes. In a skillet over medium heat, fry fish in light olive oil until both sides are light brown. Remove from pan and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain oil.
2. In a large sauce pan or in the same skillet (if large enough), saute garlic, ginger, onion and tomatoes over medium heat in the remaining olive oil used for frying the fish until tomatoes are soft.
3. Add water and fish sauce and bring to a gentle boil. Add the fried  fish. Lower heat and cover the pan. Simmer for about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to suit your taste.
4. Add the beaten eggs. When it starts to curdle, gently stir to distribute the eggs evenly in the sauce.
5. Add green onions and jalapeño pepper. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for a while to allow the sauce to further absorb the flavor of the fish. Transfer to a serving plate.
6. Serve with hot rice!

Note: Some cook their cardillo drier and call for less water but my family likes the extra sauce to spoon over the rice.

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