Fish Fingers

The thing I like about fish fingers is that it is very easy to make. No hard to find ingredients, salmonella free, rich in flavor and a universal favorite. Best served with garlic mayo (see recipe below) or plain ketchup, it is definitely a certified crowd pleaser.

This is actually my daughter Sam’s flagship food. Like most kids, she thrives in dishes that are big in crunchy texture and juicy-moist- soft filling. This dish has to make its way to your kitchen menu soon!

Fish Fingers

1/2 kilo whole dory fillets

3 cups Japanese breadcrumbs

1 pc lemon, wedged

3/4 cup parmesan cheese

3 tbsps dried basil

3/4 cup flour

1 beaten egg

Dried thyme for garnishing

salt and pepper to taste

In a mixing bowl, combine bread crumbs, basil leaves and parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Meantime, cut fish fillet in finger sizes. Season with salt and pepper.

Dredge  in flour lightly then dip in egg mixture.  Coat with the crumbs. The secret to a perfect coating is pressing it lightly as you coat and letting it stand for three minutes before frying it.

Deep fry until golden brown. Lay on a bed of napkins to blot excess oil.

Serve with garlic mayo dip (half cup mayo, 3 tbsps lemon juice, 3 minced garlic cloves, salt n pepper to taste—then mix everything together).

To have a thicker and crunchier coating, you might want to double coat by dipping in egg twice then breading the  chicken twice alternately before frying.

Squid Ink Pasta, Chorizos And Tuna

I was marveling at the dried pasta selection over at Terry Selection at The Podium when I chanced upon a pack of squid ink pasta. Almost instantaneously, I visualized the pasta to be infused with red sauce, chorizos and tuna. Perfect for Jake’s dinner, excellent for my quest for a pasta eye candy that was to be quite unique and tasty.

Incidentally, my Sister, Tina, and Brother in law, Oliver, stopped by our place that night I made it. Timely and definitely a welcome surprise, I was so ganado tossing the whole pasta ensemble knowing that I had guests to sample the dish.

The black colored-pasta had a stellar taste that I momentarily forgot that I had burned a thousand calories that afternoon from a spinning class and would just gain it back(?) with the bande-bandehadong pasta that I devoured that night. Yikes!

Okay, the recipe:

1/2 kilo squid ink pasta

1 can chorizos, halved vertically and sliced

1 can Del Monte tomato sauce petite cut

2 cans tuna lite, drained

1 cup Del Monte tomato sauce (Original flavor)

1 head of garlic, minced

1 onion, minced

1/2 cup capers

1 cup black pitted olives, sliced

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped

2 tbsps fresh parsley, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

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Cook pasta according to package directions. Set aside.

In a skillet, saute onion and garlic. Add chorizos, tuna, capers and olives. Continue stirring for two minutes. Throw in basil and oregano.

Toss in pasta. Top with tuna and cheese. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot.

Smoked Fish With Feta On Whole Wheat Pasta

My intense liking for smoked bangus started about six years ago when a friend had me taste what was to be my ultimate bottle of happiness that was made up of smoked bangus flakes in olive oil and powered by a number of spices that rocked my world since. The brand of that smoked bangus: Santwaryo. I believe they sell it in their resto branch somewhere in Metro Walk.

Am such a ‘groupie’ of smoked bangus. In whatever form or dish it’s mixed in, whether in pasta, pate or simply when you eat it fried (oh, yeah with a mean dish of scrambled eggs! ), the flavor just gets me going for seconds.

Last weekend saw me doing pasta using smoked bangus (packed, not the bottled). Still on the diet trail, I, of course, made sure that all ingredients I used never added up to my caloric intake (Yee, feeling! Lol). Of course! I’ve been sweating it out spinning at the gym for months now and do I just gobble up ‘cardiac delights’ at the mere presence of it? NO WAY. Well, forgive me for the cheeses though. Hee.

Okay, so what went with the pasta? Read on:

300 grams whole wheat pasta (spaghetti)

1 medium sized smoked bangus, skin, head and tail removed

2 heads of garlic, finely minced

1/2 cup chopped flat parsley

3/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled or cubed

salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Loosely crumble/flake smoked bangus meat. Set aside.

In a skillet, pour two rounds of olive oil. Saute garlic, smoked bangus and 1/4 cup  parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Add remaining oil.

Toss in pasta. Top with feta and parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped parsley. Serve with your favorite toast.

Baked Bangus Belly

Wrapped in our backyard banana leaves, stuffed with onions and tomatoes, slightly charred from the flame grilling, inihaw na bangus has got to be one of the flagship dishes of my childhood. It usually went with Dad’s ginisang munggo with a few pieces of suaje shrimps and a coupla bunches of dahon ng ampalaya for the final add on.

Fast forward to today, I usually do a spin off of my childhood’s inihaw na bangus except that I bake it, makes use of the belly part only and fired up by some few additional spices. Oh, and the price for living in a building? No banana leaves around!!!! So I usually settle for the next best thing– aluminum foil!

Healthy, totally scrumptious and easy to make, Jake and I can gobble this up (even without rice) in all of 3 minutes!

Baked Bangus Belly

2 pcs bangus belly

1 red onion, sliced

1 tomato, sliced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsps fresh basil, chopped (optional)

1 tsp, fresh spring onions (dahon ng sibuyas)

1 stalk of lemon grass, pounded (optional)

1/4 tsp paprika

salt and pepper to taste

aluminum foil

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Preheat oven to 300 degrees c.

Season bangus belly with salt and pepper

On a piece of bangus belly (skin down), place all ingredients. Top with the remaining slice of bangus belly. Wrap in foil.

Bake for 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Dressing:

4 tbps cane vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsps  chopped onion

1 red sili

1 clove chopped garlic

Mix everything together and pour in a small bowl. Serve with the baked bangus.

 

Recipe: Sole fillet in tomato mushroom medley sauce | ABS-CBN News | Latest Philippine Headlines, Breaking News, Video, Analysis, Features

Recipe: Sole fillet in tomato mushroom medley sauce | ABS-CBN News | Latest Philippine Headlines, Breaking News, Video, Analysis, Features.

Sole Fillet In Quick Tomato-Mushroom Medley Sauce

In one of our trips to our favorite Belinni’s Italian Restaurant at Cubao X, we decided to look away from our staple-usual faves of pasta and risotto to try another Italian dish that we haven’t tried. SOLE FISH— the menu emphasized how bestseller their sole fillet was via the marking that meant it was a must-try.

With great expectations, we looked forward to having the first bite of the dish. When the plate of sole arrived, what greeted us was a payatot (thin) piece of fish, bone in and all. The sauce didn’t even help at all. Ugh, what a letdown.

So this explains why I made my own. My style, my way and you can’t say otherwise because this is MY blog! Hahaha! In Filipino, walang kokontra!!! (Nobody can’t oppose!)

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Sole Fillet In Tomato-Mushroom Medley Sauce

5 whole sole fillets, seasoned with salt and pepper

5 large tomatoes, diced

2 medium-sized red onions, sliced

6 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup flour

1 can button mushrooms, thickly sliced

2 tsps dried basil

1/2 cup white wine

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

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Lightly dredge sole fillets on flour. Pan- fry until slightly brown on both sides. Set aside.

In a skillet, saute onion, garlic and tomatoes. Continue stirring until tomatoes have been completelycrushed and mashed turning into a chunky tomato sauce. Add basil, mushrooms and white wine. Let it simmer for another 3 minutes.

Top on sole fillets while hot. Serve immediately.

Mayo-Mustard Tuna Spread

It was a panic morning for me last Saturday with me  forgetting to map out, at a much earlier time, what was supposed to be served for breakfast. My tummy abruptly growled for food and couldn’t wait longer than 5 minutes for food. Good thing, Sam had already munched down, by this time, her regular fix of pandesal toast with some hint of peanut butter. Now, what did I do? Well, I wanted something fast, delish, healthy and  energy inducing. And it went by the name mayo-mustard tuna spread with some freshly grilled ciabatta bread!

Ooooh, those ciabatta slices  just sandwiched heaven in between them. I love the crunch of ciabatta as you take your first bites and how it gets chewy as you bite some more. Then getting to the tuna spread makes the whole eating experience awesome to the power of ten.

I usually alternate my versions of this tuna spread depending on what’s available in the ref. This version I did was  closely similar to the taste of tartar sauce that’s been smothered onto some great tasting tuna flakes.

Okay, here’s how to make the tuna spread: You will need a can of drained flaked tuna in water, 1 head of minced onion, 1 tbsp pickle relish, 1/2 cup of mayo, 1 tsp of yellow mustard, juice of 1/2 lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything together. Plate with sliced tomatoes and serve with your favorite toast.

Grilled Blue Marlin

I had the time, energy and obsession to check out Farmer’s Market in Cubao yesterday. What greeted me was their wide selection of seafood and other kitchen-must-have-now items. The fishes I saw were so fresh that I caught them wiggling and jumping up and down in the metal containers that contained water. That, to me, was the most credible seal of freshness.

What a sight to behold! Where was my camera when I needed it the most?

Okay, I literally cruised the fish stalls to search for some great find of fishes. Was hoping to get some seabass (locally known as apahap) to go with my mint sauce but, unfortunately, they didn’t have it yesterday. Anyway, the abundance of fresh, varied and great-tasting fishes they sold was enough to choose from. I saw some great catch of yellow fin tuna, mackerel, catfish, mahi-mahi, salmon, etc.

As I scanned the fish selection, I was, almost simultaneously, blueprinting my menu for the day.I got some gorgeous cuts of salmon for my sushi, tuna belly and slices of blue marlin. Blue marlin should be the first in my firing line, I thought. And, so it was.

Lunch was grilled Blue Marlin that went with my binagoongang kangkong. What did I do? I seasoned 2 medium sized Blue Marlin slices with rock salt and pepper, marinated them in about 4 tbsps of soy sauce, juice of 3 calamansi and minced four cloves of garlic for about 15 minutes. Grilled for 7 minutes on each side while brushing marinade on them as they grilled. Served them smokin’ with the dressing of 3 tbsps white vinegar, 1 tbsp soy sauce, juice of 1 calamansi, 1 clove of minced garlic and 1 red chilli pepper.

Delish, healthy and quick cooking. Amen? Amen!

Snapper Con Salsa

This post goes out to our good friends, Jed and Beng Busalla– May you have a blessed life in Jakarta!

The past Holy week had me cook quite a wide array of fish fares. I thought it was a welcome departure from the usual chicken and mostly veggies that  I cook on regular days.

I tried my hand in working on this pack of snapper fillets that I spotted at SM HYpermarket recently. I figured it would go well with some salsa made from fresh tomatoes, a few swigs from lime plus my favorite spices, cayenne pepper, chili flakes and cumin in particular to altogether seal the deal.

Okay what did I do? I seasoned 2 whole fillets of snapper with salt and pepper, drizzled juices from half a lime and lathered each fillet with 1/4 tsp of dried basil leaves. Lightly dredged them on flour and pan fried them until they turned golden brown. I set them aside for awhile to make the salsa.

In a skillet, I sauted 1 medium sized minced onion, 1 whole head of minced garlic, 1 big julienned bell pepper and about 6 diced overriped tomatoes. Added about 3 tbsps of balsamic vinegar. Let it simmer til tomatoes became soft and all juiced out. Seasoned with salt, pepper, 1/4 tsp of chili flakes, a pinch of cumin, 1/4 tsp cayene pepper and squeezed in the remaining half of the lime. Simmered some more for about ten minutes, adding water as needed to thin out the salsa until desired consistency was achieved.

On a large plate, I assembled my fillets and poured over the salsa on them. Sprinkled chopped parsley on top and was ready for the taking:)

Stir-Fried Fish Hungarian Sausages

 

Perfect for the Lenten Season, these fish hungarian sausages better make its way to your pantry soon. These sausages aren’t one of those meat-product-forced-to-be-healthy-therefore-should-be-made-into-fish thing (read: corned tuna!). The first time I sampled these, I was very impressed. It tasted very much like the REAL hungarian sausage. I liked the kunat component of the casing and the juiciness of the inside.

I sure found a gold mine again! My friend remarked the other day, “Grabe, ang tyaga mong umikot sa grocery!”, referring to my latest find when I scoured the freezers of SM Hypermarket along Quezon Avenue recently. Finding Fish stuff would relatively be easy but to actually find the great-tasting ones would be a tall order.

Okay, so what did I do? I did my favorite stir-fried sausages in my old-time favorite tomato-pepper sauce. I had a twist though– I smothered some mozzarella to it and it turned out even better!

I did this dish in my recent cooking demo and the audience liked it during the tasting portion. Hope you would too!

Stir-Fried Fish Hungarian Sausages

1 pack fish hungarian sausages, slantly sliced

1 can chunky diced tomato sauce

1 onion, minced

1 head of garlic, minced

1 tomato, quartered

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

2 tbsps butter

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

olive oil

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In a skillet, stir-fry sausages until lightly browned. Remove from pan and set aside.

Using the same skillet and oil, saute onion, garlic and tomato. Add bell peppers and sausages. Season with salt and pepper plus the cayenne pepper. Stir in butter and tomato sauce. Simmer for about three more minutes.

(Optional)

Using  a microwavable plate, pour in some of the dish and sprinkle cheese on top. Heat on microwave for about two minutes on medium heat or until cheese melts.

Stir-Fried Tuna With Holiday Peppers

I have totally lost count the number of times I tried, with all my might, to ignore all the lechon, jamon and other ‘cardiac delights’ servings on the table this holiday season. Did I succeed? I should have, but the call of cholesterol just had me munching on these fares that were absolutely rich with all the fats.

Yech.

To dampen the guilt, I whipped up something light today. Stir-fried fresh tuna with drizzles of worcestershire sauce and red peppers  just glided smoothly down my throat– certainly, guiltlessly this time.

Stir-fried tuna with holiday peppers

1/2 kilo fresh tuna, sliced

1 large bell pepper, cubed

1 large green pepper, cubed

1 onion, sliced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 stalks onion leeks

2 tsps worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

oil

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Season tuna with salt and pepper.

Meantime, in a skillet, saute onion, garlic, leeks and peppers. Add tuna. Drizzle with some worcestershire sauce.

Stir-fry for four minutes. Serve on a sizzling plate.

Smoked Bangus Pate

Simple but fanciful cocktail details do make parties look extra elegant. Very recently, I hosted a lunch at home and had these garlic sticks to go with my smoked bangus pate. I thought the shake glass was too tall for my sticks that was why I did some “apple box” for it by using cubed cucumbers. Why, I loved how it turned out!

My smoked bangus pate has never let me down. An instant crowd pleaser for its very delicious taste, I always whip this up when there’s any gathering at home. So engaging to eat, you’ll never know when to stop! It’s perfect, too, with crostinis and even on french bread.

I’m using here a file photo of my smoked bangus pate I took a few months ago since I failed to take pics of the one I made recently that we ate with the bread sticks. Was a busy bee doing preps that taking pics totally slippped my mind, tsk.

I hosted a lunch thing for a photo shoot that would feature this author’s cooking for their magazine’s valentine issue. Hopefully, the pate pic would come out in the feature.

I used shot glasses for my pate. 6 guests had one shot glass of smoked bangus pate each to savor with the bread sticks. It looked really elegant and picture perfect.

Smoked Bangus Pate

In a blender, put in one piece of medium-sized fried smoked bangus fillet (minus the head, tail, skin and bones), 1 box of cream cheese, half cup all-purpose cream, 2 tbsps lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Pulse until smooth and creamy. Serve with crostini rounds.

Salmon, Oysters And Baby Potatoes

About to be baked pink salmon

Salmon is my new beef. I love the fresh and nude taste of this salmon. Literally, melted in my mouth, today’s power lunch was made of salt, pepper, garlic and this salmon– foiled and baked for 20 minutes at 350 c. Now, was that the easiest, simplest superstar meal you could possibly have?

To go with the baked salmon as siding, I boiled a few pieces of baby potatoes,  drained once cooked and assembled  inside  a piece of aluminum sheet for baking. Of course, that after I seasoned them with  salt, pepper and a teaspoon of butter. The potatoes went with half a cup of green peas, too. Such that:

The second dish was three-cheese baked oysters. The cheeses: cream cheese, quick-melting cheddar cheese and some grated parmesan. In a skillet, heat in butter 3 cloves of minced garlic, then add 3 tbsps cream cheese, 2 tbsps heavy cream, 1/4 cup whole milk and 1/2 cup quick-melting cheddar cheese. Adjust to desired consistency by adding whole milk. Season with a bit of salt and pepper. Stir continously until thick.

Once cooked, top cheese mixture on open faced oyster shells. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese on top. Garnish with chopped rosemary. 

 Bake for 20 minutes at 350c. Serve hot:)

Fish and Oysters

Parmesan-crusted lapu-lapu fillet with garlic-mayo dip

 Wet markets have always awed me. The sight of freshly-delivered fishes jumping in ‘balde’ -fresh water majorly amuses me. The seafoods and veggies– fresh and obviously spelling quality never fail to get my attention.

A few days ago, my mom rang me up to ask what I wanted from Farmer’s Market. Almost instantly and instinctly, I pleaded for fish and oysters. Ahh, who needs to go outside the city for some fresh catch? It’s right in Cubao!

And so, the moment I got hold of them, the cooking began. The lunch ‘project’? Some parmesan-crusted lapu-lapu fillets!

 

Ready to be deep fried

I sliced two whole fillets of lapu-lapu (finger size) and seasoned them with salt and pepper. 

In a bowl, I beat 1 egg and mixed in a tablespoon of flour to make a batter.

Dipped the fish fingers one by one onto the batter then coated them with Japanese breadcrumbs mixture (1 and 1/2 cup Japanese breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and  1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper and mixed everything together. Then I was ready to deep fry.

Ahh, how I devoured the crunchy crust and moist flesh inside!

 The fish went with some garlic-mayo dip. I mixed 1/2 cup mayo with 3 cloves of minced garlic and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, seasoned with salt and pepper too!

The second dish was made up of creamy cheese and oysters. Ahh, this was the bomb. I boiled 1 and 1/2 kilos of oysters until shells opened. Them I arranged the oysters on a baking plate, then topped each with a pinch of garlic, 1/4 teaspoon butter and 1 spoonfull of quick-melting cheese. Baked for 15-20 minutes at 275 c. Now, how easy was that?

Don’t forget to squeeze in some swig of lemon before eating!

Baked cheesy oysters

 

 

 

 

 

Tuna Pesto Wrap

I saw a pack of tortillas sitting on a lonely shelf at Rustan’s yesterday when Jake and I did the grocery. I just knew I had to grab it for some warm, comforting  and delish “blank-blank” wrap, well, I impulsively got it without any exact intent as to what I wanted to do with it.

A lightbulb moment happened today and I was able to fill in the  “blank blank”. I felt like making some tuna pesto combo that I randomly teamed up with some great cheddar cheese and crunchy lettuce plus a number of spices.

Sarap!

Okay, how to do it:

2 cans tuna (solid in brine or hot and spicy)

1 cup mayo

2 tbsps mustard

3 tbsps pesto (store bought or try this)

1 medium-sized onion, minced

1/4 cup cucumber, chopped

1/4 cup celery, chopped (optional)

2 pcs romaine lettuce leaves

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

6 pcs tortillas

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1. Drain tuna from all the liquid. To take off the ‘lansa’ factor, soak tuna chunks in 3 cups drinking water and drain.

2. Mix tuna, onion, cucumber, celery, mayo, cheese and mustard together. Season with salt and pepper.

3. On a piece of a heated/grilled tortilla bread, put lettuce and tuna spread and put some pesto on top. Fold two sides of tortilla towards the center. Serve while pita is warm.

NOTE: Tortillas can be heated through a teflon pan or a griller. Heating time should only be a minute or less to maintain its softness.