How to Make Rellenong Bangus (Philippine Stuffed Milkfish) - this one with apples and cherries...

Whenever I have a relatively new or recipe that I am trying for the first time, I have a tendency to take pictures and not a video because I am not sure whether the final product would be a success.  This may be for any dish that I make differently because of a modification in either ingredient or cooking process.  For most part, I find that my revisions have resulted in success recipes and though some may be abysmal failures. This one is full of pictures in the video to demonstrate the modifications I made in preparing this dish. 

 

In this entry I am going to make Rellenong Bangus which literally translated as "Stuffed Milkfish".  Rellenar is Spanish for "to stuff" and relleno is the adjective form of it.  In the Philippines, this is a very well-known dish although seldom served because of its complicated preparation that it is reserved during special occasions like parties, fiestas and noche buenas (Christmas Midnight Dinners - though the term literally translates as "good or benevolent night". 

Rellenong Bangus or Stuffed Milkfish

 

Now, the Milkfish is very much a national fish in the Philippines although when I was growing up in the 1980s, the Galunggong or the humble Mackerel Scad was the more common fish of the masses.  By that, one can surmise that Milkfish usually costs an arm and a leg while the Scad is dime a dozen.  Now, because of my humble roots, I grew up with the taste of Galunggong rather than the Milkfish although I must admit that the flavor of Milkfish is heavenly. 

 

Galunggong a.k.a. "GG" or the Mackerel Scad
so called, "fish of the Philippine masses" even so,
this fish is a more expensive commodity than tilapia.

Traditionally, Rellenong Bangus is prepared by first removing the meat from the fish leaving the skin as intact as possible.  The meat is then deboned and minced only to be sautéed in garlic, onions, some vegetables usually peas and carrots and raisins.  The raisins is incorporated as a "sweet-sour" contrast that enhances the savory flavor of the fish.  The meat filling is then returned as a stuffing to the milkfish skin and head, sewn and sealed and fried whole resembling a whole fish and served. 

 

The Philippine Milkfish - Asian stores have them.

Cleaned, flayed open and...

...deboned...

Skins with head intact - Yes, Virginia, head intact!
Marinated with lemon juice and light soy sauce.

In this variation, instead of raisins, fresh peeled and sliced apples combined with dried cherries were used.  Also, a neat variation to the preparation of this dish is baking it rather than frying it.  Fish skin, becoming delicate when cooked, has a tendency to break and since an elongated shaped fish is difficult to fry in a round, bowl shaped, deep utensil such as a wok, I find that the baked method is more efficient, easier and results even in a less greasy Rellenong Bangus.  I suggest that my readers to try this method. 

Sauté the fish meat with some goodies...

 

...and stuff it back in the fish.

 

Dust with all purpose flour, brush with oil, wrap with
parchment paper, bake, rest, slice and serve!
WHEW!~~

Baked Rellenong Bangus (Stuffed Milkfish) with Dried Cherries and Macintosh Apple 

• 2 large Milkfish (combined weight of about 4 pounds) 
• 1 head garlic, peeled and chopped 
• 1/2 medium onion, peeled and chopped 
• 1 medium Macintosh Apple, pared, cored and sliced coarsely 
• 1/2 medium orange or red pepper, diced to small pieces 
• 1 cup dried cherries 
• 2 "American" long carrots, peeled and diced coarsely (or 1 fat "Philippine" carrot) 
• 1 12oz can peas 
• salt and pepper to taste 
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water 
• needle with cotton thread 
• All purpose flour for dusting 
• Olive oil to brush prior and during baking 
• Parchment paper 

 

Procedure 

1. Clean the milkfish by first removing the scales, gills and entrails.  Slit the underside and flay the fish open exposing the meat and fishbones, carefully remove the major spine by breaking it at the head and tail. Scape the meat as you hunt for the small bones removing them in the process.  Set the meat aside in a bowl. 
2. Meanwhile, marinade the fish skin with the head intact using some light soy sauce and kalamansi (Philippine lemon) juice.  A good substitute is the juice of calamondins or kumquats. Set aside as well. 
3. In a medium sauté pan with some oil, sauté the garlic and onions until transparent and fragrant.  Add the carrots and sauté further until the carrots are a bit soft.  Next, add the fish meat and red bell peppers and stir occasionally until half cooked.  You may choose to lower the heat at this stage and cover to let the steam cook the meat. 
4. Add the apples and cherries and sauté further just until barely almost done.  Salt and pepper to taste. 
5. Lastly, make a solution of 1 tablespoon cornstarch with the liquid coming from the peas.  In the absence of such liquid, fish or vegetable broth is a good substitute or plain water would do.  Stir in the fish meat mixture to congeal the meats and vegetables.  Set aside this mixture and let cool. 
6. Using a thin thread and needle, sew the underside of the fish skin leaving the gill opening intact. Once the fish skin is back to its original shape and using a spoon, fill the fish skin up to the head with the filling being careful that the skin does not tear at the stitching. 
7. Using cornstarch, dust the fish all over from head to tail.  
8. The next step varies.  In the original way of preparing rellenong bangus, one fries the whole fish with filling intact in a sizable wok with deep oil.  The problem with this is two fold: one, frying bangus usually results in oil splattering all over the place creating a big mess and leads to burns and two, usually in the middle of the frying when one needs to turn over the fish, the skin breaks into two exposing the filling into the oil and destroying the fine work of art.  I do not recommend this method.  Besides, fish is again exposed to more oil thus the extra calories. 
9. What I recommend is to brush the fish after it is covered with all purpose flour with some olive oil and wrap the whole fish in parchment paper, sealed and bake for thirty minutes in a 350oF oven.  The oil is enough to fry the skin as it gently bakes in the over.  The parchment saves the heat within along with the moisture as it keeps the fish crunchy outside with the filling moist inside.  This is a perfect way of savoring the many flavors and textures of the stuffed fish. 
10. If desired, after dusting with flour, you may choose to cover the whole fish with cling wrap and freeze until further use.  From the frozen state, after brushing with oil and sealing in parchment paper, bake for at least 50 minutes to an hour at 350oF.  During the baking process, you may choose to spray or brush further with oil as the temperature is set to a broil to brown the fish evenly.   
11. Let the baked fish rest for about ten minutes then serve with garnish of parsley if desired.