Bangus Relleno Or Stuffed Milkfish

Bangus Relleno or Stuffed Milk Fish

Bangus Relleno (Stuffed Milkfish)

Ingredients:

3 pieces medium-sized Bangus 

6 pieces calamansi, extract the juice

1/2 cup toyo 

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon minced  garlic

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 pieces large tomatoes, chopped

2 pieces large potato cut into small cubes

1 piece large carrot cut into small cubes

1 piece large red bell pepper cut into small cubes

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup pickle relish

2 pieces Knorr chicken cube

Salt and pepper to taste

3 pieces fresh eggs

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour plus extra for dredging

3 pieces barbecue sticks

Cooking oil for frying

Procedure:

Fresh Bangus

Bangus Relleno Ingredients

Bangus Relleno Filling

Stuffing Bangus Relleno

Stuffed Bangus Relleno Before Frying

• Clean the fish very well. Remove the scales. Make a slit at the back to open.

• Remove the intestines and the gills, cut along the big bone along the length of the fish to remove it. Wash away all the blood and dirt in running water. Scrape all the  meat from the skin, be careful not to break it and pick out all the bones using a tweezer. When the fish meat is already  boneless, chop it  finely using your cleaver and set aside. Meanwhile marinate the fish skins in 1/4 cup soy sauce, calamansi juice and ground black pepper then set aside.

• In a large frypan sauté in olive oil the garlic, onions and tomatoes. Add to the frypan the chopped deboned fish meat and cook until there are no more red fish meat visible then season with salt and pepper. Add also the potatoes, carrots, red bell pepper, raisins, pickle relish, 1/4 cup soy sauce and the Knorr chicken cubes. Continue to cook while stirring until the potatoes and other vegetables are tender. Check for seasonings and adjust taste accordingly. Remove the cooked filling from the heat and allow to cool.

• In a big bowl, transfer the cooked filling then add the beaten eggs and mix in the 1 1/2 cups flour. Combine the mixture very well to distribute all the ingredients together to bind. 

• Drain the milkfish skins from its marinade then fill up each milkfish with the prepared filling from tail to head then sew the skins together to bring the shape back to its original using a sewing needle and sewing thread. (This is the older way of preparing rellenong bangus.) The newer version is to ask your fish monger to separate the meat from the skin by using a long spatula  entering the fish from its head opening. The fish monger is usually very good at doing this and she saves you time and effort. In this newer version you have to boil the fish meat to be able to remove the bones by mashing the fish meat so you do not miss the tiny bones.

• This time you can insert barbecue sticks through the mouth of the fish towards the body. This helps to hold the fish together in handling specially in frying them. After doing that you have to dredge the fish skins with flour to ease frying them in hot oil. Fry the prepared rellenong bangus in medium hot heat until the skins are golden brown and the filling inside done. In frying my filled bangus I used the biggest pot cover I have because it is flat, deep enough to hold the frying oil and large enough to accommodate my three medium-sized bangus. 

• Can be served hot or cold with Papaya Atchara and Catsup.

Share and Enjoy!

Bangus Relleno and Papaya Atchara 

Papaya Atchara

Bangus Relleno