YOU WILL LOVE THIS DEEP FRIED FISH

                                           BUTTERFLY FILLET OF MILKFISH

This is a vinegar marinated deep-fried MILKFISH (or known as BANGUS in Philippines) and it's very yummy.      I have tasted this at a foodcourt and I was overwhelmed by the unique taste that I decide to try it at home.  The marinade will remove any fishy aftertaste if you are not a fish lover (although this fish taste quite mild) and it's flavourful with nice crispy skin.


                          

Milkfish
We purchased the Milkfish from the local supermarket in Singapore.
You will have to debone it which is quite tedious as it has plenty of bones to be removed.
This is a well sought after fish by the Filipinos and the popular dish is Bangus Rellenong.

However the dish that I am preparing is simple yet delicious.
Once you have deboned the fish, open up the fish in a butterly fillet shape
Marinate the fish with 3 spoonfuls of vinegar ( I use white vinegar), pepper, salt, light soya sauce and dribble 1 calamansi juice over it.

Marinate the fish in the fridge for two hours before deep frying.
Serve it whilst it's hot and crispy accompanied by sambal chilli.



Check out how to debone the fish.
http://www.mixph.com/2007/07/how-to-debone-bangus-milkfish.html

1. Washing. Wash fish upon arrival from the market. Scales may or may not removed.

2. Splitting. Split fish on the dorsal side starting from the tail to the head by running the edge of the knife along the backbone.

3. Removal of internal organs. Lay fish open like butterfly fillet. Remove gills and internal organs. Wash fish to remove blood and dirt. The black membrane covering the belly cavity may or may not be removed depending upon the consumers choice. Wash fish in running water.

4. Removal of backbone dorsal fin. Remove backbone by laying fish flat on the cutting board with the skin down. Hold the knife in a horizontal/slanting position and cut in with the tip of the blade along the backbone from the head to tail. Trim off the dorsal fin.

Deboning Proper

It is important to know the exact location of the spines most especially the the intermascular spines.

Total number of spines 196-208. Place fish in the shallow tray. With the end of the mosquito forceps, start removing the spines.

1. Rib bones. The bones are located in the belly cavity. They are visible and superficially embedded thus easy to pull out.

2. Dorsal intermascular spines. Make a superficial slit from head to tail along the dent of the dorsal muscle. Pull out the embedded intermascular spines one at a time.

The spines on the head portion are branched spines while the rest are unbranched. The spines on the tail portion are very much attached to the muscle tendon, making it difficult to remove. It is necessary to make a horizontal slit on this portion for easier removal of these spines.

3. Lateral intermascular spines. Area located in-between the dorsal and ventral muscles. Pull out first the large arch-shaped spines at the base of the operculum. Proceed puling out the Y-shaped spines up the mid-portion of the body ending with 3 single delicate spines.

4. Ventral intermascular spines. Make a shallow slit along the dent between the musclesegments of the ventral side and mid-portion of the body to the tip of the muscle in the tail. Pull out the first 2 very fine and delicate spines found in the mid-body which is the start of the spines located in this portion. Proceed to the tail region.