Rellenong Pusit Recipe

Rellenong Pusit is a bold classic Filipino dish that’s made of tender cooked squid stuffed with a savory mix of meat, vegetables, aromatics, and spices then fried to golden crispy perfection. It’s a perfect balance of savory, and slightly sweet and salty. an impressive yet easy dish that reminds you of the taste of home.

What is Pusit ?

Pusit in English ‘Squid’, is a soft bodied marine mollusk belonging to the cephalopod family eaten in the Philippines. Prized for its versatility and affordability since it is abundantly found in the country’s coastal waters. These have long been a staple in Filipino cuisine, appearing in everyday dishes like adobong pusit, grilled street food skewers, and festive recipes such as rellenong pusit. Beyond its culinary value, squid is rich in protein, low in fat, and packed with essential nutrients like vitamin B12, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids, making it both a nourishing and accessible ingredient for many Filipino families. Squid meat is firm yet tender when cooked properly, it has a mildly sweet, briny flavor that pairs well with both simple and richly seasoned dishes. 

This ingredient is characterized by its elongated tube-shaped body, eight arms, and two longer tentacles used for capturing prey. It has a thin, flexible internal shell (pen), with a skin that can  quickly change color-an ability to camouflage thanks to specialized pigment cells called chromatophores. This holds an important place in Filipino cuisine and livelihood due to the country’s rich marine biodiversity. It supports local fishing industries, particularly small-scale fishermen who rely on squid and many other seafoods like fish, shrimps, crabs and more as part of their daily catch. Culturally, pusit is deeply embedded in Filipino cooking traditions—featured in classic dishes like adobong pusit, inihaw na pusit, and the well-loved rellenong pusit.

For this dish, Relyenong Pusit (or “ Rellenong Pusit ”) is a dish that has Spanish influences. “Relleno” meaning “Stuffed” evolved as locals began filling squid with local aromatics, vegetables, and sometimes ground meat to create a flavorful, celebratory dish. Over time, this treasured recipe became a ‘special occasion dish’ served at big or small gatherings, holidays, or seen as a must try vacation food since every region may have a different style of cooking – grief, baked, fried, or sauteed.

Rellenong Pusit Ingredients

• Squid heads – the main ingredient, the bigger these are the more you can stuff inside.
• Calamansi juice – helps give the dish a nice tang, it also helps with removing any slime or foul taste the squid may have.
• Soy sauce – for flavor and umami.
• Garlic and Onion – adds taste and aroma.
• Ground pork – our meat filling of choice. You can also use ground beef, chicken, or shrimp if you’d like.
• Pepper – to taste.
• Carrot, Potato, and Bell Pepper – for more nutrients. It also makes for a colorful addition.
• Eggs – to bind everything together.
• All purpose flour – to help crisp up the squid when fried.
• Oil – for frying.

Rellenong Pusit Recipe Easy

Ingredients 

• 1 kilo squid heads
• 4 tablespoons calamansi juice ( divide into 2 )
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 5 cloves garlic ( minced )
• 1 medium onion ( chopped )
• 600 grams ground pork
• Pepper to taste
• 1 small carrot ( chopped )
• 1medium potato ( chopped )
• 2 pieces bell pepper ( chopped )
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• Oil for frying

Steps :

1. Prepare the cleaned squid. Marinade with 2 tablespoons calamansi juice and soy sauce. Mix well. Marinade for 30 minutes, then drain/strain after.

2. Heat oil in a pan. Saute garlic until aromatic. Cook onions until softened. Then saute in ground pork until these change in color. Add pepper to taste.

3. Add in carrot, cook for a few minutes. Add in potatoes and cook until softened. Mix in bell peppers. Season with 2 tablespoons of calamansi juice.

4. Set aside and let this cool down. Once cold, mix in the eggs. Stuff the squid heads. Seal with a toothpick.

5. Place all purpose flour in a shallow pan. Coat the squids in flour. Fry in a pan with just enough oil. Flip if needed.

6. Once golden and crisp. Take these out and enjoy!

Questions :

• Additional Ingredients
  • Stuffed Squid Recipe Chinese style – change the filling to chinese sausage (filling), shiitake mushroom, garlic, onion / shallot, ginger, scallion, seasoned with soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar, with glutinous rice to bind everything together. Braise the ingredients in a sauce mix of soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, water, ginger, and scallions.
  • Rellenong Pusit Malabon – For the Malabon version, the ingredients are similar, the only difference is that the squids are cooked with the leftover ground pork instead of being fried. It’s more braised until tender.

• Other ways to cook this dish ? 

To cook Rellenong Pusit oven, all you need to do is place the squids over a cooling rack over a tray. Preheat the oven to 200°C, bake for 20 or 30 minutes. Checking and flipping midway. You’ll want to brush these with the leftover liquids from the cooked meat. Once tender these are ready to eat!

Try our other Yummy Pusit Recipes :

Inihaw na Pusit with Giniling ( Tagalog )

Mga Sangkap :

• 1 kilo ulo ng pusit
• 4 kutsara ng katas ng calamansi ( ihati ng 2 )
• 4 kutsara ng soy sauce
• 5 butil ng bawang ( tinadtad )
• 1 sibuyas ( tinadtad )
• 600 gramo giniling na baboy
• Paminta panlasa
• 1 karot ( hiniwa ng maliliit )
• 1 patatas ( hiniwa ng maliliit )
• 2 piraso kampanilyang paminta ( hiniwa ng maliliit )
• 2 itlog
• 1 tasa harina
• Mantika pang prito

Paano Lutuin :

1. Ihanda ang mga malinis na pusit. Haluan ito ng 2 kutsara ng calamansi at soy sauce. Haluin ng mabuti at itabi ng 30 minuto, salain pagkatapos.
2. Uminit ng mantika sa kawali, Lutuin ang mga bawang hanggang mabango. Lutuin ang mga sibuyas hanggang lumambot. Lutuin din dito ang giniling na baboy hanggang mag iba ng kulay. Haluan ng paminta panlasa.
3. Ihalo dito ang mga karot at lutuin ng ilang minuto bago haluan ng patatas, lutuin hanggang lumambot. Haluin din dito ang mga kampanilyang paminta at 2 kutsara ng calamansi juice.
4. Itabi at palamigin. Pag lumamig na, haluain ito ng mga itlog. Isuksok ito sa mga ulo ng pusit. Iselyado gamit ang toothpick.
5. Maghanda ng harina sa mababaw na plato. Takpan ang mga ulo ng pusit ng harina. Iprito sa kawali na may mainit na mantika. Pag baliktarin kung kinakailangan. 
6. Pag nag golden o kayumanggi na, tanggalin at ienjoy!