Daing is a general term for curing and preserving fish with salt and vinegar. The fish is butterflied and is either marinated or salted and sun-dried ( Kulinarya, p.106). Daing is usually eaten at breakfast with fried egg, garlic fried rice, chopped tomatoes, atchara (pickled young papaya) and vinegar for dipping…Mmmm! If you haven’t tried that breakfast combo yet, well, why not give it a go?! Weekend is the best time to try it when you’re not rushing to go to work or school 🙂
Marinated daing na bangus is easy to make especially now that boneless milkfish and milkfish belly is available in most supermarkets or Filipino/Asian food stores if you’re not from the Philippines. It makes eating milkfish also a LOT easier now; I remember a time when it is so annoying to eat milkfish because of the tiny, hair-thin bones that’s embedded in it’s flesh. Bangus or milkfish was my least favorite fish because of it, but that was before.
My version of daing na bangus is marinated in soy sauce and calamansi juice, but I’m also including the original recipe for daing which is just marinated in vinegar.
Note: Marinated milkfish is also available if you really want it quick and easy 🙂
Marinate milkfish belly for at least 4 hours or overnight
When ready to cook..dredge fish with lightly seasoned flour, I like to do this to prevent splattering ..
and to make it really crispy..
I like crispy fish skin..so delicious!
don’t throw the garlic cloves away; fry it and serve it with the daing or make garlic fried rice with it
DAING na BANGUS ( Butterflied Boneless Milkfish)
Ingredients
4 pieces boneless bangus belly ( milkfish belly) or 2 medium-size whole boneless milkfish, butterflied
12 garlic cloves, (or as many as you like) crushed
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, crushed (or add as much/less as you like)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup calamansi juice or vinegar or lemon juice
1/4 cup flour seasoned with a little salt and pepper
cooking oil for frying
Here’s How:
Wash milkfish and put inside ziplock bag or any container with cover. Combine soy sauce, calamansi juice, crushed black peppercorns and garlic cloves in a bowl, mix well and pour over milkfish. Marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
After marinating…
Heat cooking oil in a pan over medium high heat. Put seasoned flour in a plate. Take milkfish and garlic cloves out of the ziplock bag and discard excess marinade. Lay each milkfish belly on the seasoned flour, making sure that it is evenly coated with flour, turn to coat the other side; shake off excess flour and fry in the pre-heated oil in pan. Cook fish until golden in color, turn once to cook the other side.
Serve with garlic fried rice and chopped tomatoes on the side and chili vinegar. Enjoy!
Optional: Fry the garlic in the same pan until brown and crispy, sprinkle on top of fried milkfish; or if you want to and you have leftover rice, you can fry rice in it too for a delicious garlic fried rice!
DAING na BANGUS
adapted from Kulinarya and Sarap Pinoy cookbooks
2 whole milkfish, butterflied
1 tablespoon black peppercorn, crushed
10-12 pieces garlic cloves, crushed
salt to taste
3/4 cup vinegar ( sukang puti)
Here’s How:
Wash fish, pat dry and season with crushed peppercorn and salt. Put in a ziplock bag or any container with cover large enough to fit the milkfish. Pour vinegar over fish and add garlic cloves. Put in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Fry milkfish in hot oil until nicely brown and the skin is crisp. Serve with garlic fried rice. Enjoy!
Daing na Bangus ( Butterflied Boneless Milkfish Belly)
Ingredients
- 4 PIECES BONELESS BANGUS BELLY MILKFISH BELLY OR 2 MEDIUM-SIZE WHOLE BONELESS MILKFISH, BUTTERFLIED
- 12 GARLIC CLOVES (OR AS MANY AS YOU LIKE) CRUSHED
- 1 TABLESPOON BLACK PEPPERCORNS CRUSHED (OR ADD AS MUCH/LESS AS YOU LIKE)
- 1/4 CUP SOY SAUCE
- 1/3 CUP CALAMANSI JUICE OR VINEGAR OR LEMON JUICE
- 1/4 CUP FLOUR SEASONED WITH A LITTLE SALT AND PEPPER
- COOKING OIL FOR FRYING
Instructions
- WASH MILKFISH AND PUT INSIDE ZIPLOCK BAG OR ANY CONTAINER WITH COVER. COMBINE SOY SAUCE, CALAMANSI JUICE, CRUSHED BLACK PEPPERCORNS AND GARLIC CLOVES IN A BOWL, MIX WELL AND POUR OVER MILKFISH. MARINATE FOR AT LEAST 4 HOURS OR OVERNIGHT IN THE REFRIGERATOR.
- AFTER MARINATING…
- HEAT COOKING OIL IN A PAN OVER MEDIUM HIGH HEAT. PUT SEASONED FLOUR IN A PLATE. TAKE MILKFISH AND GARLIC CLOVES OUT OF THE ZIPLOCK BAG AND DISCARD EXCESS MARINADE. LAY EACH MILKFISH BELLY ON THE SEASONED FLOUR, MAKING SURE THAT IT IS EVENLY COATED WITH FLOUR, TURN TO COAT THE OTHER SIDE; SHAKE OFF EXCESS FLOUR AND FRY IN THE PRE-HEATED OIL IN PAN. COOK FISH UNTIL GOLDEN IN COLOR, TURN ONCE TO COOK THE OTHER SIDE.
- SERVE WITH GARLIC FRIED RICE AND CHOPPED TOMATOES ON THE SIDE AND CHILI VINEGAR. ENJOY!
- OPTIONAL: FRY THE GARLIC IN THE SAME PAN UNTIL BROWN AND CRISPY, SPRINKLE ON TOP OF FRIED MILKFISH; OR IF YOU WANT TO AND YOU HAVE LEFTOVER RICE, YOU CAN FRY RICE IN IT TOO FOR A DELICIOUS GARLIC FRIED RICE!