A simple but flavorful way to cook fish! Pinaputok na Tilapia with Lutong Baps - Video

A simple but flavorful pescatarian recipe using a staple fish in Filipino cuisine—Tilapia— wrapped in banana leaf perfect for lunch or dinner.

Pinaputok na Tilapia

[INGREDIENTS]

Tilapia, cleaned and de-scaled
2 heads of garlic (bawang)
2-3 large banana leaves (dahon ng saging)
6 tomatoes (kamatis)
2 onions (sibuyas)
1 tbsp bouillon powder
salt, to taste (asin)
cooking oil, for frying (mantika)

[PROCEDURE]

1. Prepare your banana leaves by cutting them to the size appropriate for wrapping each individual tilapia.
2. Heat the banana leaves to disinfect them and make them malleable. This can be done either on an open flame or in boiling water. Heat them until they're dark green and flexible.
3. When buying your tilapia from the market, you may ask the fishmonger to remove the scales, guts, and gills for you. Otherwise, start by removing the tilapia scales using the back of your knife and then making an incision on the belly up to the gills to remove the guts and the gills.
4. Prepare the filling: mince half of the garlic, then, dice the onions and the tomatoes. In a bowl, combine minced garlic, onions, tomatoes, and bouillon powder.
5. Stuff the tilapia with the filling. Then, lay on a bed of garlic, salt the fish, then securely wrap with the banana leaf.
6. In a pan, heat up 2 to 3 tbsp of oil. When the oil is hot enough (pan should be slightly smoking), carefully place up to three wrapped tilapia in the pan, seam side down. Cover and let cook for 3~4 minutes. Flip each piece, then cover and cook for another 3~4 minutes.
NOTE: Banana leaves are the most essential ingredient along with garlic for their flavor! The steam will cook the fish through while the banana leaf and garlic are cooked in the oil, which imparts the dish's signature flavor.
7. Serve with rice and a dipping sauce of calamansi, soy sauce, the cooked filling.

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