Milkfish Paté

grilled bangus (milkfish) spread in banana leaves

Adora and Diona, our lovely KCC hosts chose WHITE food theme for this wedding month of June. Lots of ideas came to mind; however, most of them have already been featured on this blog.

I made fish spread using bangus (milkfish) and coconut milk, wrapped small portions of the fish paste in pieces of banana leaves, and grilled the packets for a few minutes on each side. I got the method of wrapping the fish in banana leaves from the cookbook FLAVOURS OF THE PHILIPPINES by Glenda Rosales-Barretto. The finished fish spread is delicious served with rice and a few squirts of calamansi or lemon juice, or with salted egg and tomato salad, or as topping for pandesal toast and SkyFlakes crackers.

I love the spread together with lumpfish caviar on top of
garlic-flavored SkyFlakes crackers

Bangus Paté
1 cup diced uncooked bangus or any white fish filet
1½ tablespoons fish extract or to taste
1½ tablespoons lemon or calamansi juice
2 tablespoons finely minced shallots
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
a pinch of ground white peppercorns
a pinch of ground cayenne
1 egg white
1 cup coconut milk
6-inch pieces banana leaves, wilted

• In a food processor, pulse all the ingredients except coconut milk and banana leaves for 30 seconds. Scrape sides with spatula and add coconut milk; process for 1 minute. Place about 3 tablespoons of fish paste on a piece of banana leaf, wrap all around. Place the bundle on another piece of banana leaf, fold two sides toward the center and twist the ends like a candy wrapper. Secure with thin pieces of banana leaf or with twine. Grill for 2 minutes on each side. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy more KCC white food here.

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Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney (Kath, Trisha, and Trissa), who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colorful cuisine.

Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.

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Sisig

sour and spicy fish sisig, specially good with an ice cold bottle of beer

Sisig, a spicy and sour appetizer made with parts of or a whole pig's head, also made with a variety of meats, fish, and even tofu, is one Filipino dish I have never heard of nor eaten before reading so much about it in several Filipino food blogs. A friend from Los Angeles and I were chatting on the phone yesterday making plans to meet up in the Philippines in the next few months (I haven't decided yet if I'm going). She is a part-time caterer and she mentioned that she cooked for a party of 45 last Christmas and one of the dishes she made was bangus (milkfish) sisig. She gave me a very simple recipe which she says is a bit different from the ones served in Manila restaurants. Her bangus sisig is not crispy because she poaches the fish before mixing with the seasonings. Another friend told me today that her sister who owns a restaurant in Quezon City that serves bangus sisig deep fries the fish before chopping to have a crispy texture. They had me itching to taste this dish and today I made not just the fish sisig but also pork belly sisig. Both are really tasty and I can now understand the popularity of sisig.

The following recipe for the fish sisig is just a guide. You can add more or less soy sauce, calamansi juice, and hot chili peppers to suit your taste. I like mine really spicy and sour.

Milkfish Sisig
2 pounds whole milkfish (or tilapia)
1 T vegetable oil
2 C sweet onions, chopped
birds eye chili peppers, chopped, to taste
2 T soy sauce
¼ C calamansi juice
1 small red onion, finely chopped

• Poach or deep fry fish. Debone and flake, or chop if deep fried. Set aside.
• In a skillet, heat the oil and saute onions until very soft and light brown. Add chopped hot chili peppers and saute for a minute.
• Transfer into a medium bowl. Add soy sauce, calamansi juice, and chopped red onions. Gently mix in the fish. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Transfer into a serving dish with chopped hot peppers, soy sauce, and calamansi on the side.

The recipe for pork belly sisig is here.