CAINTA, Philippines — Bacon imparts a certain distinct taste to a dish, so that everything tastes better with bacon.
This cured meat, which is prepared from different cuts of pork, is so versatile that it can go deliciously with any dish. Soup, salad, appetizer, main course, even dessert is sometimes sprinkled with bacon bits by creative chefs, and it makes a world of difference.
Mostly a breakfast food, bacon is no longer confined to its initial gastronomic purpose these days. Chefs like to experiment with it, and Chef Sharwin Tee, in a cooking class which he conducted as part of The Maya Kitchen’s Culinary Elite Series, featured Bacon-wrapped Fish Fillet with Mango Salsa as one of his demo dishes. Here, we share its recipe with you.
Bacon-Wrapped Fish Fillet with Mango Salsa
Ingredients:
4 pcs. fish fillet, such as cream dory, 120 grams each
Salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
3 pcs. calamansi, juiced
8 pcs. fresh basil leaves
16 slices honey-cured bacon
Fresh asparagus spears
1 pc. whole tomato
1 pc. whole ripe mango, peeled and seeded
1 pc. small sibuyas Tagalog (native onion), minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
5-7 pcs. wansuy (cilantro leaves)
Procedure:
1. Season with fish fillets with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and juice of 2 pcs. calamansi.
2. Top each fish fillet with 2 pcs. fresh basil leaves.
3. Wrap each fish fillet with 3 slices of bacon, overlapping one another.
4. Heat pan and sear each bacon-wrapped fish fillet to a crisp. Turn over to cook the other side. Arrange bacon-wrapped fish fillets in a baking dish, and finish cooking in a pre-heated 200?F oven for 7 to 8 minutes. In the middle of the cooking time, add asparagus spears to the baking dish to bake them as well.
5. Prepare the mango salsa. Chop tomatoes and mangoes into small dices. Place in a mixing bowl with minced onion and garlic. Mix well with juice of remaining calamansi, sugar and olive oil.
6. Rough-chop cilantro leaves, and add to the salsa. Mix in.
7. Serve fish fillet by topping it with asparagus spears and mango salsa, or arrange on a plate with asparagus on one side and serve with mango salsa in a bowl.