Bangus Bistek sa Tausi (Milk Fish with Black Beans)

I have been checking my folder of photos and saw a picture of this dish I made since I can't remember when. Actually, now that I've made a little run through I see there are still a few more recipes I need to post,  but some of them I have only tried cooking the first time so I need to redo them again first to remember the quantity of each ingredient. This recipe however, is very simple so not very hard to remember, aside from the fact that I love Bangus Bistek and the only variation to the dish is adding black beans.
Bistek is another popular dish in the Philippines usually cooked with Beef. Coined from the term Beef Steak, Bistek is beef sirloin cooked in soy sauce and lemon. In this case, I have replaced beef with milk fish. The combination of the salty and sour taste makes it an ideal dish to perk you up in the morning paired with fried rice and hot coffee :).
Ingredients:
1 large milk fish, cleaned, gutted and sliced
1/4 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 medium onion, sliced to rings for garnish
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, sliced thinly
3 tbs soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp peppercorns, crushed
salt to taste

Method:
Pat dry fish slices then dredge with flour.
Fry the fish for about2-3 minutes on each side, only to achieve a crisp crust and  lightly brown color. The fish will be thoroughly cooked with the sauce later. Turn off the heat and take out the fish and oil from the pan separately, leaving only about 2 tbs of oil to cook the sauce.
Using the same pan, saute the garlic and thinly sliced onions. When soft and lightly browned, add the soy sauce, lemon juice, peppercorns and black beans. Saute for another 2-3 minutes then add the fish back. Pour in the water. Adjust taste with salt.
Simmer for 5-8 minutes, by this time the sauce would have thicken due to the flour on the fish.
Turn off the heat. Transfer fish into a serving plate and garnish with fresh onion rings. Best served with garlic fried rice and fried egg. Enjoy!