Afritadang Bangus, another Milkfish DIsh
Although Bangus or Milkfish is one of many staple foods in the Philippines, it’s pretty baffling to discover that not all Pinoy knows how to cook it on an Afritada recipe.
When I googled it, I found out that only a few people look for it on the internet; it was not as popular as I thought it should be, like the Chicken Afritada.
So, I’m guessing some of you, Hearty Tongue’s regular patrons might be surprised to know that Bangus can come up as one of the ingredients in making an Afritada dish. But like any other meat and fish to cook with, now you know it can.
The only problem is evident; a Milkfish has more fish bones or Tinik compared to other fishes.
With that in mind, you might extend your time at the table.
I suppose it is better to take this on dinner when you don’t have any more plans after but to relax. Also, you will need a good pair of fingers to act as tweezers during your meal.
But you know, kidding aside, the Afritadang Bangus wasn’t that bad of a viand.
I remembered when I first cooked the dish for my wife. Her first impression of the taste was like, “What? I never thought this would taste this good!”
I know right, I sounded like I am exaggerating.
She might not have said those exact words. But it was written on her face, so I made my assumptions.
Now, if you haven’t tried the Aritada recipe cooked with fried Bangus, I suggest you try it now!
Tools You Will Need
- Frying pan
- Pot or saucepan
- Chopping board and knife
- Measuring spoons and cup
- Cooking spoon and spatulas
- Your trusted stove
Enjoy another Afritada recipe cooked with fried Bangus.
- 1/2 kg Bangus or Milkfish (Remove scales and innards. Slice diagonally, 3 to 4 cm thick per slice. We'll only use the middle part of the fish.)
- 1 Medium-sized Potato (Slice diagonally, about 2 to 3 cm thick.)
- 1 Medium-sized Carrot (sliced lengthwise and crosswise, as thick as the potato.)
- 1 1/2 Heads of Fresh Garlic (Minced.)
- 1 Medium-sized Red Onion (Chopped.)
- 1 Medium-sized Bell Pepper (Cut into strips.)
- 200 g Tomato Sauce
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch
- 2 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 1/4 tsp Salt (Or add according to taste.)
- 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 2 Dried Bay Leaves
- 1 cup Water
- 2 tbsp Canola Oil
- Initial Prep 1: Fry Sliced Potato and Bangus
- Heat the frying pan and pour in 4 tbsp of canola oil.
- Fry the slices of potato first for 3 to 5 minutes on each side.
- After finishing with all the potato slices, remove them from the pan and set them aside.
- On the same frying pan with its oil, sprinkle some all-purpose flour on the cooking surfaces to avoid hot oil from splattering when you start placing in the fish.
- Start frying the Milkfish for 5 to 8 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
- After finishing with the fish, remove them from the pan and set them aside.
- Remove the pan from the stove and replace it with a pot or saucepan.
- Get ready to start cooking the Afritada sauce.
- Initial Prep 2: Prepare the Cornstarch Solution
- In a small bowl, put 2 tbsp of cornstarch with an equal part of water, 2:2.
- Stir the solution until the cornstarch dissolves.
- Set it aside but keep it ready.
After some time, the cornstarch will usually settle to the bottom of the solution. It's not really a big deal; stir the solution again, and you are good to go. - Cooking the Afritada Sauce for Bangus
- Heat the pot or saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Take 2 tbsp of the oil from the pan that we've previously used for frying, then pour it on the pot's cooking surface.
- Saute the aromatics: garlic to golden brown and onion to translucent.
- Add tomato sauce, water and fish sauce. Stir the ingredients, cover the pot, and bring it to a boil.
- Simmer for 5 minutes.
From here, you have two options:
Option 1: Add the bay leaves and sliced carrot, cover the pot again and simmer for 5 minutes.
Option 2: The same as number one, but this time, adding also the fried Bangus to simmer.
- After simmering, put in the bell pepper, fried potato slices, salt and ground black pepper. Stir the ingredients lightly but well.
- Pour the cornstarch solution into the pot. Then stir the ingredients again.
—If you chose to do "Option 1" above, then, in this section of the instruction, this is when we are going to add the Fried Bangus.
- Simmer for 5 to 6 minutes or until the potato is cooked.
- Once simmering reached its time, the Afritadang Bangus is ready.
Serve with equally hot rice. Enjoy!
Servings 3
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 615kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 26.5g41%
- Saturated Fat 0.8g4%
- Sodium 1506mg63%
- Potassium 877mg26%
- Total Carbohydrate 50.3g17%
- Dietary Fiber 5.4g22%
- Sugars 9.2g
- Protein 45.5g91%
- Calcium 7 mg
- Iron 13 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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