Fish poached in vinegar with ginger, garlic, and whole peppercorns. Paksiw is the Filipino method of cooking in vinegar, and this fish version is among its plainest and most beloved forms. The vinegar is not boiled off but left sharp, mellowed only by the aromatics, giving a clean, sour broth. Often a finger chili and a few slices of bitter melon or eggplant go in, and it is eaten with plenty of rice.
Paksiw, from a root meaning 'to cook in vinegar,' is one of the oldest Filipino techniques and predates Spanish contact, as vinegar souring was a native way to cook and briefly preserve fish and meat in a tropical climate. The fish version is everyday coastal and home cooking across the islands rather than a regional specialty, valued for being quick, frugal, and keeping well for a day or two.
Soft, just-flaking fish in a thin, sharply sour broth scented with ginger and garlic. The vinegar is bracing and clean, the peppercorns leave a slow heat, and a finger chili adds a quiet burn. Slices of bitter melon, if added, contribute their cooling bitterness. It is unapologetically tart, made to be tempered by mouthfuls of plain rice.
The acetic acid in vinegar both seasons the fish and gently firms its proteins, while a brief poach is enough to cook delicate flesh without breaking it apart. Crucially, the vinegar is added and then left mostly undisturbed at a low simmer rather than stirred — stirring before it heats through can leave a raw, harsh acidity. The low pH also slows spoilage, which is why paksiw keeps.
Variations
Milkfish (bangus) and galunggong (round scad) are common choices, but almost any fish works. A sweeter take, paksiw na isda with sugar, balances the sour; some cooks enrich it with coconut milk for paksiw na isda sa gata. The broader paksiw family includes the meat-based paksiw na pata and the leftover-lechon paksiw known as lechon paksiw.
On the Palate
Where Paksiw na Isda sits in the Filipino flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
7 steps · 10 min
- 110 min
Clean the fish and cut into steaks if large; lay them in a single layer in a pot.
- 22 min
Scatter over the ginger, garlic, and whole peppercorns.
- 33 min
Pour in the vinegar and a little water, and add a finger chili and any bitter melon.
- 45 min
Bring to a boil without stirring, then lower to a gentle simmer.
Watch outBring it to a boil without stirring, then drop to a gentle simmer — stirring before it heats through leaves a raw, harsh vinegar edge.
- 58 min
Simmer uncovered until the fish is just cooked through and flakes easily.
Watch outSimmer just until the fish flakes easily — a brief poach sets the delicate flesh; overcook it and it breaks apart in the pot.
- 63 min
Season with a little fish sauce or salt and let it settle off the heat.
- 72 min
Serve warm or at room temperature with steamed rice.
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