Pinaputok na Tilapia

Have a boombastick dinner with this boombastick pinaputok na tilapia recipe! With this stuffed tilapia, you tummy will also be stuffed of good food! Enjoy this simple dish with a lot of hot steaming rice!

PINAPUTOK NA TILAPIA

I tried asking some people what “pinaputok na tilapia” is and I got two sets of answers. The first set of people said that the tilapia is fried up to the point where the skin is almost popping and bursting. The second set of people said that the tilapia was stuffed up to the point where it is about to burst. Congratulations to the second set of people as they got the right answer.

The word “pinaputok” is a Tagalog term which means “to burst”. Pinaputok na tilapia is a Filipino style stuffed fish filled with different types of aromatics. In this dish, the tilapia is about to burst with the filling which makes it plump and tasty. You can also try this recipe with other large types of fish like tulingan and tuna. To know how to make this dish, continue reading the recipe below.

HOW TO COOK PINAPUTOK NA TILAPIA

Intense cleaning of the fish is needed before you start with the pinaputok na tilapia. The goal of this dish is to stuff the tilapia with a lot of aromatics. Aromatics used usually includes tomatoes, onion, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper. Feel free to use additional aromatics of your choice. Cut the aromatics into small pieces for easier stuffing and infusion of flavors. Some brave people I know directly cook their pinaputok na tilapia in oil after this step. If you’re an expert, you can actually do this. For me, I’d like to be sure that the contents will remain inside during the cooking process. To do this, I recommend to wrap the tilapia in banana leaf. The leaf traps all the juices and added a special aroma to the fish. Make sure to pass the banana leaf quickly over the flame to become pliable. If there is no banana leaf available, you can simply use aluminum foil.

There are a variety of ways of cooking the pinaputok na tilapia. This includes frying, steaming, baking and even grilling. Frying is the easiest and more convenient way of cooking pinaputok na tilapia. All you needed is a pan and some hot oil. Place the wrapped tilapia in the pan and let it cook for a few minutes. Let the tilapia cool down a bit before unwrapping. Serve it with a lot of hot steaming rice and enjoy!

Pinaputok na Tilapia

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Course: Uncategorized

Servings

4

servings

Ingredients

• 1 kilo tilapia

• banana leaf (for wrapping)

• oil (for deep frying)

• For the Filling:

• 5 pieces tomatoes (minced)

• 1 onion (minced)

• 4 cloves of garlic (minced)

• 2 thumb-sized ginger (minced)

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Pass the banana leaf quickly over the flame to wilt and become pliable. Reserve the stem and cut it into thin sheets.
• Clean the tilapia and remove the scales. Cut the back where the filling will be inserted for later. Make some slits on the body of the tilapia. Rub both sides of the fish with salt.
• For the filling, add the tomatoes, onion, garlic and ginger in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix until well-combined.
• Add some fillings inside the fish through the cut at the back. You can also add fillings inside the head for more flavor. Wrap the tilapia using the wilted banana leaf. Use the stem sheets as a tie to secure the wrap. Make sure that the sides are also secured. Do these steps with the rest of the tilapia.
• Heat some oil in the pan for deep-frying. Add a piece of banana-wrapped tilapia and cover the pan to avoid oil from splashing. Fry the tilapia for 8 to 10 minutes on each side using medium heat. You can also opt to bake using 180C or grill for 20 minutes or steam for 20 minutes using high heat.
• After frying, let the tilapia cool down a bit before unwrapping.
• Unwrap the tilapia and transfer to a serving plate. Enjoy the pinaputok na tilapia with a spicy toyomansi dip and with a lot of hot steaming rice!

Paano Magluto ng Pinaputok na Tilapia

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 kilo tilapia
• dahon ng saging
• mantika (sa pagpiprito)

For the Filling:

• 5 pieces tomatoes (minced)
• 1 onion (minced)
• 4 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 2 thumb-sized ginger (minced)
• salt and pepper to taste

PAANO LUTUIN:

1. Padaanin sa apoy ang dahon ng saging para lumambot. Isantabi ang step at hatiin ito ng maninipis na piraso.
2. Linisin ang mga tilapia at tanggalin ang scales. Hiwain ang likod ng mga ito. Lagyan ng hiwa ang katawan ng isda at pahiran ng asin.
3. Para sa filling, paghaluhaluin ang kamatis, sibuyas, bawang at luya sa isang bowl. Budburan ng asin at paminta at haluin ng mabuti.
4. Ilagay ang fillings sa loob ng hiwa sa likod ng mga tilapia. Pwede mo ring lagyan ng fillings ang ulo para mas maging masarap. Balutin ang tilapia gamit ang dahon ng saging. Gamitin ang stem bilang panali. Siguraduhing sarado ang dalawang gilid. Gawin ang mga steps na ito sa iba pang tilapia.
5. Magpainit ng mantika sa isang kawali. Maglagay ng isang piraso ng tilapia at takpan ang kawali para hindi tumalsik ang mantika. Iprito ang tilapia ng 8 hanggang 10 minuto sa bawat side gamit ang katamtamang apoy. Pwede mo ring i-bake ang tilapia ng 20 minutos gamit ang 180C, o ihawin ng 20 minuto o i-steam ng 20 minuto gamit ang mataas na apoy.
6. Palamigin ang tilapia bago tanggalin ang dahon ng saging.
7. Tanggalin ang dahon ng saging at ilagay ang tilapia sa isang serving plate. Isawsaw ang pinaputok na tilapia sa maanghang na toyomansi dip at ihain kasama ang mainit na kanin. Enjoy!