I’ve been wanting to write this post for a very long time but never really got around to it. Since it’s Lent, I thought it’d be the perfect time for this post to make it online.
This is a variation on the usual ginataang tilapia that my mom cooks. Instead of cooking the tilapia in the coconut cream, it is cooked separately from the sauce. The result is a delicious dish that’s rich in texture. The crispness of the fish goes so well with the rich and smooth texture of the coconut cream.
If you’d like a fancier-looking dish use tilapia fillets instead of a whole fish. Pan-fry skin-side first, and only flip the fillets when the skin is already crispy. You may also use pechay instead of mustasa.
Here’s the recipe. Enjoy!
Ginataang Crispy Tilapia (Crispy Tilapia In Coconut Cream)
Ingredients:
4 small tilapia (about 6-7 inches in length), scaled and cleaned
Salt
Cooking oil, for deep frying
1 tetra pack coconut cream
Vinegar (about 4-5 tablespoons)
Shallots or red onion, chopped
Ginger, julienned
Garlic, chopped into slivers
Salt
Peppercorns
Sugar
Green finger chilis (siling pang-sigang)
Mustasa, washed and cut from base
Remove the scale and the innards of the tilapia. Trim the fins and wash thoroughly. Pat dry. Cut a slit on each side.
Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok.
Season the tilapia with salt, making sure you season inside the fish cavity and in the slits you made.
Once the oil is hot enough, deep fry the tilapia on medium to high heat. Fry it until it is golden brown and crispy on the outside.
In a saucepan, combine coconut cream, water, vinegar, sugar, shallots, ginger, peppercorns, finger chili and garlic. Simmer. Season with salt. Adjust the sweetness and vinegar according to your preference. Simmer some more until slightly reduced before adding the mustasa. Continue simmering until the mustasa is cooked and the sauce has further reduced and has thickened slightly.
To plate: Pour coconut cream sauce over crispy tilapia. Top with mustasa. Serve immediately. Serve with steamed rice. Personally, I prefer to eat this with garlic fried rice.
Serves 3-4 people.
