My parents grew up in Navotas which is known for being a fishing town. It follows that in our family fish is a regular part of our meal. I have learned to eat it in different ways. It is most commonly prepared as sinigang, paksiw, pangat and pirito (fried). But we would also have as it Sarciado, Escabeche and the lesser known Cardillo and Tocho.

Cardillo became my husband’s favorite dish after making it for him as newlyweds. It’s fried fish with a tomato and egg sauce. I don’t know how this dish came about my guess is some homemaker just wanted to make fried fish more interesting and decided to use ingredients that is readily available from her pantry. Fried fish is very much a staple in Filipino households and I believe this is a practical way of jazzing it up. This is one of the many things that I grew up eating and what you may call a rustic Filipino dish.

To make, fry several pieces of fish preferably bone in. I used tilapia for this recipe because of it’s mild flavor. Then saute a medium sized finely chopped onion, 2-3 pieces roma tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes because I did not have roma tomatoes) and 2 cloves of garlic minced. Cook until vegetables are softened and tomatoes has released it’s juices. Then add 2 cups water and let this come to a gentle boil. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly add 2 beaten eggs by drizzling it over the broth to create ribbons. Then place you fried fish and simmer everything for a few minutes so that flavors can meld together. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

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