Bangus, also known as milkfish, is the unofficial fish of the Philippines, where it is common table fare. There are hundreds of ways to cook bangus, from frying it to stuffing it or dicing it up and adding it to spring rolls. One of the simplest ways to cook bangus is to fry it and pair it with a side of fried rice or white rice.
Instructions
1. Mix the minced garlic cloves, lemon juice, soy sauce and salt and pepper in a bowl. Put the 4 medium sized bangus into the bowl, flipping so that each side is coated. Leave the bangus in the bowl for approximately 20 minutes to a half hour. This mixture can also be done the night before and the bangus can be left in it overnight in the refrigerator to marinate. The longer the bangus marinates, the more flavor it will have.
2. Make the side dish during the 20-minute marinate time. White rice or fried rice works as a good pairing for bangus but other sides that can be considered are salads, vegetables or fried onions with fried garlic cloves. Fried onions with fried garlic cloves can be placed right on top of the finished fried bangus for a flavorful dish.
3. Heat olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat. While the oil is heating take the bangus out of the marinade and pat them dry with a paper towel. If the bangus is too wet, then it will not brown or crisp in the frying pan the way it should. When the oil is heated to frying temperature (flick a drop of water in the pan, if it sizzles it's ready) place the 4 boneless bagus into the pan using tongs. Using tongs will prevent you from getting to close to the hot oil and burning yourself.
4. Brown the bangus for 4 to 5 minutes on one side until it has a nice golden tone with crisping edges. Use the tongs to flip the bangus to the other side and repeat the browning for 4 to 5 minutes or until the bangus is a golden color. Remove the frying pan from the burner and shut off the burner. Use the tongs to remove the fried bangus from the pan and place the bangus on a clean paper towel so the oil can drain from the fish.
5. Arrange on a plate the side dish you have prepared in Step 2. If it is white rice, place it in the center of the plate and then add one of the fried bangus fish on top of the rice. If it is fried rice, salad or a vegetable that you chose to use a side dish add it to the side of the plate next to a piece of fried bangus. Fried onions with garlic cloves can be served atop of the cooked bangus. Serve warm.
Tags: fried bangus, garlic cloves, fried rice, onions with, side dish, bangus from, bangus other
