Sinigang sa Buko (Fish Stewed in Tamarind and Tender Coconut)

This is quite an unusual but exciting “sinigang”, the generic term that refers to highly varied Filipino stew flavored with any of the many types of natural souring agents such as tamarind, camias or “calamansi”. The use of young or tender coconut in the dish, both of its nutritious water and soft white kernel, is utterly innovative and truly promising, culinary speaking that is.

The idea is pretty rational too considering the popularity of “sinigang” and the abundance of coconut tree throughout the whole Philippine archipelago. It pretty satisfies the conditions that would make the seemingly special dish actually a practical alternative still falling within the range of the average (a.k.a. tight) budget of most Filipino family.

This type of “sinigang” was first mentioned to me by a friend who visited Mayon Volcano in the Bicol region where he learned and has actually tried the dish. Apparently, there is a restaurant in the region who wittingly concocted this “sinigang sa buko” recipe (a variation) which eventually gained wide acceptance among its guests and soon became the restaurant’s signature dish. In reality, there is no secret to the recipe, just plain ingenious concept that works. Its major difference from a typical “sinigang” lies only on the usage of tender coconut’s sweet and refreshing water as well as its spongy and milky flesh. That’s all. It’s simple but brilliant.

The restaurant usually uses slices of tasty blue marlin for the dish. But of course, wahoo or seer fish (“tanigue”), trevally (“talakitok”), yellow fin tuna and other fish varieties and even pork or beef are also options. For this preparation however, I intend to use slices of the predatory coral fish called grouper or “lapu-lapu”. No, I’m not trying to cheat here. I would admit that with grouper, my “sinigang” is probably one notch more delicious already but what can I do, in this part of the world (in our area at least), “lapu-lapu” is the much cheaper fish and easier to come by. Seriously! Its price is almost the same as the short mackerel or “alumahan”. :-)

Steamed Fish with Toasted Garlic

It’s weekend……and since I might be tempted to revisit the “Playground” for some shore fishing adventure (again?), I checked our freezer last night for the inventory of my remaining previous catch. I discovered I still have two nice pan-sized fishes. One is a tasty grouper or “lapu-lapu” and the other one I am not quite familiar with but looks like a delicious crossbreed of sort of snapper and bream. The last part of the statement actually reads ….”I don’t really have an idea”. :-)

Since I am hopeful that my next angling expedition will be fruitful (as always….. typical thinking of an avid angler), I thought the freezer should be cleared of old catch to give space for the new ones. So the two fish should immediately be cooked …….by all means…….not that I am starving because the chicken barbecue we ate for an early dinner was fully digested at that time…..but because I need to cook. It’s a therapy for a stressed mind…….of people living far from love ones. And yes I have to blog……it is already a part of the system……of my life.

I initially thought of simply cooking the fish in the oven like my previous post baked fish. But when I tried preheating the oven, the moment I turned the switch on, I instantaneously sent the whole compound into total darkness. It appeared there was some short circuit in the oven’s electrical line and turning it on will trigger the main switch to trip and cause massive blackout …… all throughout the compound. :-)

It was the reason why this post is entitled “steamed fish” and not baked. But it was a blessing in disguise……this steamed fish which I prepared with toasted garlic, butter and lime juice ended up luscious. A dish worth the trouble of temporarily cutting the electricity supply…….as well as the internet connection…… at the time when most of my housemates/friends are chatting with their special ones. :-))

Tapa or Tapang Baboy Ramo (Marinated or Cured Wild Boar)

The title surely sounds exotic. After all, meat from wild boar or what is locally called “baboy ramo” in the Philippines and “wal ura” in Sri Lanka has become so seldom and difficult to come by. Most probably due to over-hunting in the past and the inevitable intervention of progress and development into their natural habitat (a.k.a. consequential destruction) which unnecessarily (and sadly) resulted to extreme depletion of stock in the wild and the subsequent enforcement of strict government initiatives as well the preservation efforts of various wildlife groups, having wild boar meat in your kitchen is quite a rare opportunity nowadays. At least, in some Asian countries, where unlike in the US and Europe, wild boar farms are quite few, if ever there are any.

Now, that I was able to acquire some portion of the meat from what they told me as a legally butchered wild boar from an operated farm, I am quite ecstatic to prepare a truly favorite Filipino dish called “tapa” from the exotic meat. As a disambiguation, “tapa” of the Philippines refers to marinated, dried or cured slices of meat, usually beef, pork and venison, although other meat or even fish may be used. The meat are thinly sliced and cured with vinegar, spices and seasonings as a method of preserving it. It is best served fried or grilled. This is not the same “tapa” or “tapas” of Spain which is the name referring to a wide variety of appetizers or snacks in the Spanish cuisine, usually eaten while drinking some wine in the bars.

Wild boar or wild pig (“sus scrofa”) is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig. Wild boars are native across much of Northern and Central Europe, the Mediterranean Region (including North Africa's Atlas Mountains) and much of Asia through Siberia and as far south as Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Principally for hunting purposes, wild boars have also been artificially introduced in some parts of the world such the Americas and Australasia. In some places, populations have also become established after escapes of wild boar from captivity. While the term boar is used to denote an adult male of certain species, including, confusingly, domestic pigs, wild boar also applies to the whole species, including "wild boar sow" or "wild boar piglet".

Kinilaw na Pugita (Octopus Ceviche)

During the FIFA World Cup, Paul the Oracle Octopus was the biggest winner. After establishing a perfect, 8 out of 8, prognostication record, Paul became an instant international celebrity and a world sensation. Long after Paul is gone; its feat will continue to live in the memory of all football fans and players. After all, making a stir in the biggest sporting events of the world will leave a permanent mark in the mind and heart of all sports aficionados.

As a result of Paul’s rose to stardom, people now have higher regards to octopus as a magnificent animal, as an extra-ordinary pet, as an important part of the marine ecology and just hopefully, as a significant food item for the bulging world population and continuously depleting food supply, particularly from the bounty of the sea.

Belonging to the “cephalopod” class in the mollusk family, the octopus is related to squid and cuttlefish. Its rich diet of clams and scallops gives it a highly flavorful meat that although quite rubbery, is distinctly tasty and in fact, very popular in Japan and the Mediterranean countries. The Japanese way of eating them raw has amazed many people all over the world.

It can be eaten in several ways such as grilled, braised as “adobo”, boiled and pickled, sautéed, deep-fried, simmered or boiled for several hours and as usually done, marinated in vinegar or citrus juice and spices in the dish called “kinilaw”, a food preparation which is very similar to the “ceviche” of Latin America.

Kabuteng Mamarang (Tasty Wild Mushroom Soup)

With the coming of the storm or rainy season in the Philippines, the brief period of wild mushroom germination also arrives. The severe lightning that usually occurs during the rainy season causes high accumulation of nitrate compound in the atmosphere which then triggers the sprouting of wild mushrooms along farms and forests particularly on the decaying anthills, termite hills and other natural areas where there are disintegrating organic matters such as leaves, wood and animal manure.

Whilst the wild mushroom that grows on our lawn and backyard in Sri Lanka which I have featured here before tastes good already, the Philippine variety called “kabuteng mamarang” that sprouts during the rainy season is way better in both taste and texture. This is a family favorite vegetables and mushroom hunters and farmers in our community and nearby villages regularly bring their harvests on our doorstep knowing that my parents will buy them all, no matter how plenty they may be.

“Mamarang” is the wild mushroom that is scientifically called “Termitomyces cartilaginous”. This is a popular vegetable ingredient widely used in the Japanese, Chinese and of course Philippine cuisines. It is considered as among the tastiest wild mushrooms which only sprout during the rainy months of late July to late September in the Philippines. Studies show that the “mamarang” variety is very difficult to cultivate thus supply is quite limited and available only during its natural sprouting season.

Baked Wild Mushroom and Cheese Omelette

Thunderstorms and lightning bring both concern and joy to me. I’m worried that strong thunder will cause, as it usually does, our circuit breakers to shut off and of course, without electricity there will be no computer access and internet connections, at least in our dwelling. On the other hand, they excite me because for reasons I am not quite sure, when there are thunderstorms and lightning, there is a good chance that wild mushrooms will be sprouting, as it always happens as well, in our lawn and garden the following morning,

The other morning, I found several wild mushrooms in our backyard. I realized it has been raining with occasional lightning and thunderstorms the previous night, hence the mushrooming. I eagerly harvested the wild vegetable and stock them inside the fridge before going to work. I usually cook wild mushrooms into tasty vegetable soup like the one I posted here. That day however, I contemplated on preparing a different dish using some of the surprise exotic harvest. In that afternoon, I ended up baking wild mushroom and cheese omellette.

While mushroom is actually the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, some varieties can be very delicious. But proper care and familiarity should be considered in harvesting the wild vegetable as some kinds can be potently toxic and highly poisonous. I won’t advise anyone to just pick wild mushrooms from their gardens and backyard and cook into meals. Basic knowledge on the edible varieties should be acquired first before even thinking of gathering them for food.

Isda Adobo Sa Gata (Fish Adobo in Coconut Milk)

We have been cooking distinct variations of the known and well love Filipino dish “adobo” lately. Just last week I prepared the “adobong manok sa dilaw” which is basically a chicken adobo flavored with turmeric instead of soy sauce. Earlier before that, I cooked but failed to post here, another adobo dish using some duck and chicken giblets I collected over a month period and kept sitting in the freezer. More than a couple of months ago, I already featured “adobong lengua at leeg” which uses ox tongue and chicken neck to create a rich and tasty adobo variation.

To continue this wonderful adobo exploration, let me do a rather exotic version using the unusual but quite meaty type of porcupine box fishes called “burrfish” and referred to as “tugatungan” in the southern Philippines. If you will remember, this is the same type of strange looking spines laden fish we featured last time following our series of shore fishing adventures just before the southwest monsoon hit the fishing site with huge waves and heavy rains forcing a halt to my fishing activities. :-)

Apart from using an uncommon fish, which probably will not appeal to many North American and European nations, another obvious difference of this adobo dish is that it also uses “luyang dilaw” or “dilaw” or turmeric along with some thick coconut milk to make a fragrant, creamy, tasty, light yellow colored saucy seafood adobo dish.

Baked Fish

I was asked by one angler who read my posts on shore fishing what I did with a certain type of fish that I caught. Well, all of our catch that we take home ends up in our stomach. If the type of fish is unfamiliar or something new to me, I ask my friends who grew up in a fishing community and very familiar to all types of tropical fishes to either teach me cooking them or by themselves, to directly prepare them for me.

The bottom line is that no catch is ever wasted. For a true angler, the catch, no matter how small or insignificant, is too precious not to be eaten or be wasted. Whilst I cannot post all the cooking adventures we are doing to the catch, some have been proudly featured here like in pesang “lapu-lapu” or stewed grouper, fish shanghai or fried spring roll, “paksiw na isda” or “tilapia” stewed in vinegar and crispy fried parrot fish.

Still most often, fish caught are either grilled or fried. It is among the simple, fast and easy ways to cook and enjoy them. If the fish are quite small for grilling, they are stewed or poached like in “paksiw”, “pangat” and “tinola” dishes where in spite of the small size of the fish, they served and satisfied really big appetite.

Pesang Lapu-Lapu (Grouper Stew in Ginger with Vegetables)

I can’t think of a better way to cook my “lapu-lapu” catch in my recent shore fishing adventure than by the popular Filipino stew dish called “pesa”. I first ate and since then has been heavily exposed to “pesa” in the “Capampangan” area of the provinces of Pampanga and Tarlac lying in the central part of the Luzon island of the Philippines. In the region, “pesa” is a regular table fare for the whole family, particularly for fishes such as the ferocious freshwater snakehead called mudfish or “dalag” or “bulig”, the bony but tasty milkfish or “bangus” and yes, the rather pricey but very delicious grouper or “lapu-lapu”.

Basically, “pesa” is boiled or stew fish infused with the strong flavor of ginger and added with some vegetables. The pungent flavor of ginger is required to counter the stench smell and taste of the fish and provide a tasty broth. In addition, fish are sometimes slightly fried first to further remove the stench prior to stewing. The soupy dish is served with an accompanying somewhat salty sauce made from either Chinese fermented soybean cake called “tahure/tauri” or fermented black beans called “tausi”, or sometimes using the Japanese fermented condiment called “miso”, mashed and then sauté in chopped onions and tomatoes.

Bhut Jolokia Chili Garlic Sauce - The Hottest Chili

You might have known it already from the news, but let me once again present “bhut jolokia”, the 2007 Guinness World Record certified Hottest Chili of the World. Why am I excited? Well, I have tasted this chili some 3 years ago when an old tea woman of our office gave me some harvested from her backyard. I could vividly remember that ignorantly tasting it was one tragic incident which immediately resulted to profusely watering eyes and running nose. The bad experience prompted me to throw away the rest of the chilies and never to consider the vegetable in any of my kitchen adventures.

But after having read many informative articles about the regarded “king of chilies” with more than a million Scoville units (SHU), the scientific measurement of a chili's spiciness or pungency, and its perceived tremendous potentials not only as a culinary item but in other fields as well like in medicine, food manufacturing and self-defense and military weaponry, I decided to make a second scrutiny of the thumb-sized but very lethal vegetable.

Fish Shanghai (Fish Spring Roll)

We can gauge the level of popularity or success of a particular food by looking at the number of variations concocted or created from it. In the case of Filipino cuisine, perhaps “adobo”, “sinigang”, “caldereta”, “paksiw”, “kinilaw” and “pancit” with their many variations and styles of cooking developed, are amongst the most prepared Filipino foods using different types of ingredients and thus, can be considered as also the most successful ones. I believe the Filipino-Chinese meat spring rolls or “lumpiang shanghai”, which I prepared and posted earlier, is also one of them.

While the original recipe primarily uses pork, many other type of meats have been successfully substituted and accepted, like chicken, beef, shrimps and combination thereof. Since I have been regularly shore fishing lately and have accumulated a lot of freshly caught game fish in our freezer, I thought of preparing a “fish shanghai” or the fish version of the known meat spring roll called “lumpiang shanghai” would be a very sensible and economical idea.

So for today, let me do my version of the well-loved spring roll using a fish from one of our recent catches from angling or sportsfishing at our favorite shore fishing spot along the highly diverse Rumassala reef in Galle City, Sri Lanka, namely, the gorgeous but not very good smelling parrotfish. :-)

Kasoy - Cashew Juice and Nuts

There are three important things to remember about the fascinating work of nature called cashew or what is known as “kasoy” or “casuy” in the Philippines, "marañón" in Brazil and Spain, “cajou” or “caju” in Portugal, “acajaiba” or “acajé” in Tupi and “kadju” here in Sri Lanka, to mention just a few of its many names. First is the real fruit, second is the nut and third is the accessory fruit. Is that very clear? I know it’s not. :-)

The accessory fruit, sometimes called the false fruit or pseudo fruit, is the oval or pear or bell-shaped structure that develops from the receptacle of the cashew flower which ripens into an attractive yellow and/or red but delicately soft body called cashew apple. This is what most of us believed is the fruit. It’s not.

Green Mango Shake (Smoothies)

The mango trees we have in our backyard are now in abundance with fruits. The enticing green fruits are still on an early stage but already driving us all into an uncontrollable state of salivation. Its alluring crunchiness that regularly greet us every morning as we leave for work, serves as a silent bombardment reminding us that we still have some “Ginisang Alamang” in the fridge waiting to be devoured alongside with its sourly-tasty flesh. Okay, I am drooling now. :-)

But since the fruits are quite a lot, we have options to use them in some other ways or preparations. While Sri Lankan and Indian usually use their green mangoes as vegetable cooking them with curry and other spices, the Filipino’s alternative way of enjoying the bounty harvest at its unripe stage is to make a refreshing and invigorating green mango shake or smoothies. With the summer season fast approaching, the sight of green mangoes hanging from the branches is simply awesome.

Mixed Bag of Fish from Sri Lankan Waters 2

As I have posted earlier, a mixed bag of fresh fish from the rich waters of the tiny but beautiful island of Sri Lanka is what I will find every time I’ll make a short trip to the coastal road of the southwestern region where numerous roadside stalls selling newly caught fish are lining up. Just like what I said in my first post about this subject matter here, fresh catch from local fishermen is my usual focus of attention rather than those caught by commercial fishing vessels. Obviously because the fish were taken using hook and line which happen to be the same concept of Angling or Sportfishing, one of my favorite outdoor sports.

This time, my find includes a gorgeous grouper locally known as “garupa” and popularly called “lapu-lapu” in the Philippines, a striking pink king soldier bream locally known as “thiraliya” and known as “bitilya” or “malakapas” in Filipino and a silvery shining bullet tuna locally called “eli-choorai” and called “aloy” and sometimes “tulingan” (though there is a really different "tulingan" variety) in the Philippines. These fish all taste great and can be made into sumptuous dishes.

Bullet tuna is a comparatively small and slender tuna that belongs to the subspecies of tuna in the family “Scombridae”. It is found globally in open surface waters of tropical oceans to depths of about 50 meters. It can grow to a maximum length of about 50 cm and colored blue-black on the back with a pattern of zig-zag dark markings on the upper hind body and silver below. They feed on small fish, squid, mantis shrimp larvae and planktonic crustaceans.

King soldier bream or picnic sea bream are fish belonging to Sparidae family. I had featured this fish before in my pot about “Steamed Fish in Soy Sauce”. Sea breams generally live in shallow temperate waters and are bottom-dwelling carnivores. They like coastal sandy or muddy areas and usually feeds on benthic invertebrates. Most species possess grinding, molar-like teeth and they can grow up to 75 cm.

Grouper is an important fish in many Southeast Asian countries and China. In the Philippines and other parts of Southeast Asia, several varieties of grouper are now being cultivated for commercial distribution. It is considered a first class fish in Hong Kong and Macau and is usually kept in aerated aquarium and solve alive.

The word "grouper" is widely believed to have come from the Portuguese name “garoupa”. In Australia, the name "groper" is used instead of "grouper" for several species, such as the Queensland groper. In the Middle East, the fish is known as “hammour” and is widely eaten, especially in the Persian Gulf region. In the United States, grouper are often found in waters off Florida.

Since I will be posting an important and quite valued dish in Southeast Asia and China called “Steamed Grouper in Soy Sauce” very soon, with an intension to provide details and important information about the fish, I will not provide further details here. Let me just mention that this fish though not quite popular in many countries, including Sri Lanka where it is cheaper than other ordinary fish is among the most delicious fish for me.

You can cook it sweet and sour style, fillet and fried, stewed with vegetable like in “pesa” or cooked in tamarind like in “sinigang” and of course, steamed, in many variations, all delicious but my favorite of which is in soy sauce. c",)

Mixed Bag of Fish from Sri Lanka Waters

Sri Lanka, having surrounded by a rich ocean, is blessed with numerous variety of aquatic life. With a shoreline of more than 1,100 miles and a continental shelf of about 10,000 square miles, the seas around Sri Lanka have an unlimited and relatively unexploited fishing potential. With lush land vegetation, more than a hundred major river basins, about a hundred other estuaries and natural waterways, lagoons and coastal lakes, all with food abundant-waters terminating to the sea, marine life is expected to be quite close to the coastline.

Even with a population of more than 20 million, the sea and major rivers of the island nation remain within the safe level of sustainability.

Popular varieties of food fish found are skipjack and yellow fin tunas, gilthead, seer fish, herrings, sprat, anchovies, red and white mullets, snapper, grouper, trevally, yellow lip emperor, shad, barracuda, barramundi and bream to name a few. The coral world offers beautiful species such as rays, eels, clown fish, porcupine, angel fish, unicorn, trigger fish, wrasse and parrot fish. Gorgeous images of such magnificent marine life were already featured here under the White Sandy Beaches and Coral Reefs of Sri Lanka post.

With a short early morning visit to the coastal road, I can easily find fresh catch from local fishermen. I prefer to buy from them as the fish are really fresh usually caught not far from the shoreline. The fish in the photos above and below are just sample of my recent purchases from a roadside vendor. A mixed bag of fresh fish which could provide numerous culinary possibilities.

Another essential catch are the small size trevally which I intend to cook “sinigang” style (stew in tamarind) to take make use of its freshness and create a delicately tasty sourly-soupy dish loved by most Filipinos.

Even more important to me are the highly sought-after pompano and another variety of trevally which I thought should be perfect for “pangat” or “pinangat”, another Filipino dish where fresh fish is cook in lemon juice, ginger and other spices. This will be posted later for you to enjoy.

These are just sample of the sea bounty from Sri Lanka waters. If you like fish and desires the omega 3 and other essential minerals of a fish, then head right away to the nearest market and secure some of the freshest catch of the day. c“,)

Kabute Soup (Wild Mushroom Soup)

It has been continuously raining with occasional lightning and thunder here in our area in the Southwestern Sri Lanka. As I go around our front yard, I noticed several wild mushrooms in our lawn. I closely examined the exotic plant and found them similar to one type of edible mushrooms in the Philippines which our family usually enjoy during months when thunderstorms are prevalent. I excitedly harvested the rare produce as I particularly like the taste of wild mushrooms over cultured ones. I showed them to our security guard which confirmed they are indeed edible. I asked him to look for more from the backyard and he returned with some more harvest eliciting a huge smile on my face.

A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. While there are many varieties that are toxic and highly poisonous, there are also many which are edible. Edible mushrooms are used extensively in cooking in many cuisines like Chinese, European and Japanese. Some are quite tasty and highly priced. The Philippines being a tropical country has many varieties providing inexpensive food source as they usually appear over night in some backyards, farms and forest. During my childhood, mushroom hunting in the early morning has been one of my worthwhile weekend activities.

Though mushrooms are commonly thought to have little nutritional value, many species are high in fiber and provide vitamins such as thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, biotin and ascorbic acid. Mushrooms are also a source of some minerals, including selenium, potassium and phosphorus. Though not normally a significant source of vitamin D, some mushrooms can become considerable sources after exposure to ultraviolet light,

Most mushrooms that are sold in the farmer’s markets or supermarkets now have been commercially grown on farms. That’s why finding wild mushroom from our own backyard is such a wonderful moment for me. Though not many, the wild mushroom is enough to provide a special vegetable dish for me and hopefully some of my friends here. So right now, these are gorgeous:

To maximize the not so many mushrooms we have harvested, I decided to cook them in soup form complemented by ridge gourd which for whatever reason is a perfect match for wild mushrooms. This one of the family dish we only enjoyed occasionally, from months of October to November, in the Philippines.

For the 5 pieces of mushrooms, we need about 2 pcs young ridge gourd (“patola”), peeled and sliced to ½ inc thick, 5 gloves of garlic, peeled and crushed, about 1 tsp of salt or to taste and 1 tsp ground pepper.

To cook, simply pour about 4-5 cups of water in a small sauce pan or casserole and let it boil on high heat. Lower the heat to medium and place the garlic, followed by the mushroom. Simmer until the mushroom is just cooked. Add the gourd and season with salt to bring out that special taste.

When the gourd is cooked through add the ground pepper. Taste and add more salt if necessary, according to your preference. Transfer in a bowl and serve immediately.

I usually add more ground pepper as I enjoy my serving. The broth is so tasty. Distinctly flavorful. Wild mushrooms are really special vegetables. Enjoy! c",)

My parents who love this vegetable so much will envy me for this. :-)

Crispy Fried Parrotfish

In our family parrotfish is not a regular table fare. As far as I can remember, I only ate this fish two times. The first time was when I was still a kid in our town in Padre Garcia, Batangas. My father prepared it while we watched in awe and amusement because of its color and beauty. The last time was when I’m already working on a road project in Batangas City when a colleague who has an appetite for this fish gave me some for lunch. Although I am so amazed by its vibrant color and beautiful appearance, I’m not particularly impressed by its bland taste and strong smell.

I learned that while its meat is rarely consumed in the US, in Hawaii, parrotfish is especially popular on the dinner table and are a prime target of net fishermen. It is also considered a delicacy in many other parts of the world.

I also once read that parrotfish are better fried, steamed or stewed. In southern Philippines they cook it “tinola” style (stew in ginger with vegetables) for as long it is still very fresh.

For the carolines parrotfish that we caught in our shore fishing adventure, I played safe and decided to just fry it whole. First I thoroughly gutted and cleaned the fish. I discovered that removal of its big scales in quite a tough job already.



After patting it dry with a table napkin, I marinated it with 2 tbsp minced garlic, 2 tbsp calamansi juice (you can substitute lemon), 1 tbsp sea salt and 1 tsp ground pepper for about an hour inside the fridge.



Then I fried it whole in a big pan until golden brown and crispy on the edge. Frying a big (about 5 lbs) whole fish is not easy. My fish even sticked to the pan making it very difficult to turn over. After splatting about 1/4 cup of vegetable oil all over the oven area, my fish is finally cooked.



I just mixed some juice of calamansi, soy sauce and chili for that favorite Filipino dipping sauce and served it for dinner with some friends.

I was surprised that the fish was good. Although I may have overcooked a bit due to its sticking on the pan but the taste isn’t bad. The crispy skin, belly and face were my most favorite part. On a scale of 10, this is 7.75, not bad for a fish not really known for its good taste.

Will I eat it again? By all means.