Dinner · 30 min · filipino

Vinegar-Braised Paksiw na Isda

Milkfish does the heavy lifting here, with cane vinegar rounding it out. A Filipino dinner that takes 30 minutes, start to finish. At 280 calories and 34g protein per serving, it fits easily into a high-protein day. Naturally keto, it scales cleanly if you are cooking for more than one.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 2 whole Milkfish
• 3/4 cup Cane vinegar
• 1/2 cup Water
• 3 tbsp Ginger
• 5 cloves Garlic
• 1 cup Bitter melon leaves
• 2 Long chilies

Steps

1. Layer the ginger, garlic, and half the bitter melon leaves in a wide pan.
2. Lay the fish over the aromatics in a single layer — paksiw is steamed in its own sour vapor, not boiled.
3. Pour the vinegar and water around, not over, the fish; add the chilies.
4. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered 15 minutes. Do not turn the fish; the gentle steam cooks it through.
5. Scatter the remaining leaves on top for the last 3 minutes.
6. The fish is done when the flesh flakes at the thickest part. Serve with the reduced, sharply sour broth spooned over rice. Paksiw is adobo’s leaner, cleaner cousin.

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