Daing na Bangus
(dah-ing nah bah-ngoos)
Weeknight Ulam: The Heart of the Family Table
The smell of cracked peppercorns and garlic hitting hot vinegar means you are home. What began as a survival tactic for preserving catch under the tropical sun has evolved into a fiercely beloved weeknight ritual. The historical hurdle of picking through hundreds of tiny milkfish bones is solved entirely by the frozen, pre-butterflied filets waiting at your local Asian grocer. Soaked overnight and fried properly, it yields a shatteringly crisp skin and tangy, unctuous belly fat that demands to be eaten with a mountain of garlic rice and a runny egg.
Before you start
Prepare the marinade.
In a wide, shallow dish or large zip-top bag, combine the vinegar, garlic, peppercorns, and salt, stirring until the salt fully dissolves.
Soak the milkfish.
Submerge the thawed fish in the marinade, flesh-side down if using a dish, and refrigerate for 4 to 12 hours. Do not exceed 24 hours, or the acid will chemically cook the meat and turn it mushy.
Dry and dredge the fish.
Remove the fish from the liquid, scrape off any stray garlic, and aggressively pat completely dry with paper towels. Lightly dust the flesh side with the flour to ensure a splatter-free, perfectly crisp crust.
Ingredients
- boneless butterflied milkfish1 large
- cane vinegar or distilled white vinegar3/4 cup
- garlic8 med clove
- whole black peppercorns1 tsp
- coarse sea salt1 1/2 tsp
- all-purpose flour3 tbsp
- neutral cooking oil1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Heat a dry pan to test the temperature.
Place a wide skillet over medium-high heat until a flicked drop of water beads up and dances rapidly across the surface like a marble.
- 02
Add the oil.
Pour in the neutral oil, swirl to coat the pan, and wait about 30 seconds until it is shimmering and just starting to smoke.
- 03
Fry the fish skin-side down.
Lower the heat to medium, carefully lay the milkfish into the pan, and cover with a lid left cracked by one inch so steam can escape without making the skin soggy.
- 04
Leave the fish completely undisturbed.
Fry for 4 to 5 minutes without touching or prodding it; the fish is ready to flip only when the edges are deep golden brown and the skin naturally releases from the pan.
- 05
Flip and finish frying.
Carefully turn the fish with a wide spatula and fry the flesh side, uncovered, for another 3 to 4 minutes until golden and crispy.
Notes
Serve as a traditional Bangsilog.
Drain the fried fish briefly on a paper towel and serve immediately alongside garlic fried rice, a sunny-side-up egg, and a small bowl of spiced vinegar for dipping.
From Cook Filipino in America.