Silver Fish "Torta"

To Mexicans, "Torta" means sandwich. In Italy, it may mean cake. For me, the word conjures an image of an omelet - anything dipped in egg batter and fried. Back in my childhood days, when Mad Cow's Disease was unheard of, our cook would even make cow's brain torta for breakfast. And yes, I ate it with gusto. That's why I tell P (to his dismay) that if I'd ever end up as a Fear Factor contestant, I would always win in the eating portion. Gross... but true. Anyway, saw these fresh Silver Fish (I don't know its name in Tagalog) in Chinatown a few days ago. Just perfect for crispy, crunchy fish torta. Yum!! The cooked version ended looking more like okoy (fried vegetable fritters), but it tasted just as good as I had imagined. I wasn't sure if P was going to like it though. "Hmmm..." he managed to mumble, on his first bite. That's it?! By his third torta - still no reaction. As it turned out, all along he thought he was eating well seasoned potato pancakes!!! (Hmmmm...    Would he notice if I serve him some brain torta next time? ...just a passing thought.)

Ingredients: a pound of silver fish, flour, 2 beaten eggs, a bunch of scallions/green onions chopped, 1 small firm tomato chopped (no seeds), 2 tablespoon parsley chopped, 1/4 red bell pepper diced, black pepper, paprika powder, salt.


Heat vegetable oil in wok or frying pan. Make the batter by beating the eggs with the flour (I used the self-rising one). Season to taste with salt, black pepper and paprika powder. Add in the tomato, green onions/scallions, bell pepper and parsley. Mix all ingredients together. Drop in the silver fish and coat them well with the batter. Fry in small batches till golden brown, about 2 minutes.

Serve immediately.
For dipping: Pour vinegar in a small saucer. Season with salt and black pepper. Add some chopped garlic.