Lenten bangus

We now share the recipe which has been handed down to us by our late mother.

This is one dish that always finds its place on our table during the Lenten season. It is actually our version of rellenong (stuffed) bangus (milk fish). It is meatless, flavorful, ideal for a one-dish meal when we need to lessen our food intake. It is nutritious and can be prepared in advance. We now share the recipe which has been handed down to us by our late mother.

Meatless Rellenong Bangus

Ingredients:

2 meduim-size bangus (ask the fishmonger to carefully extract the flesh of the fish off from its skin, careful not to make a tear or pull off the fat belly)

                Half a head of native garlic, crushed

                Half of a big onion, diced

                2 big tomatoes, seeded, diced

                2 medium size potatoes, cubed

                1 tbsp sweet relish

                1 box raisins

                3 hardboiled eggs, cubed

                Salt and pepper, a dash each

                Butter and all purpose flour

                A stalk of leeks, cut into 3-inch length

For the marinade:

                2 tbsps light soy sauce

                juice of three small calamansi

                A pinch of ground pepper

                Spoon each body of fish with a little of the marinade mixture, then place them in a tray, pouring the rest of the marinade over the fish; set aside.

Procedure:

In a casserole, boil the flesh of the fish in water and celery. When done, drain and set aside. When cool, flake and remove all bones.

Saute garlic, onion, tomatoes. Add the potatoes, season with salt and pepper. Mix and cover. Wait for potatoes to cook.

Add the flaked fish, then all other ingredients. Mix well.

Cool then stuff into the marinated bangus.

Line a baking tray with aluminium foil. Spread butter over it. Brush the fish with butter  on both sides, then coat with flour. Bake at moderate heat, turn once, each time braising the fish with butter. Watch carefully that they don’t get burned or over cooked. Don’t leave the fish in the oven if not serving yet. They will get burned from the heat!

For the sauce:

Melt butter in little oil, add in the remaining marinade, bring to boil. Serve on the side.

Here is one more kitchen tip – if you have balsamic vinegar left in your cupboard, use this as substitute for ordinary vinegar in cooking your fish paksiw. The resulting dish acquires a richer, more unique flavor. Delicious! Suggested fish for this dish – pampano.

Happy meatless Lenten days!

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