Filipino Fried Bangus Breakfast (Daing na Bangus)

The fish takes a bit of preparation but nothing out of the ordinary. A simple marinade, preferably overnight, along with the removal of any bones (you can do this beforehand, or cautiously pick them out as you dig at it after cooking). The small amount of time required pays off. If you have never heard of bangus, don’t worry. The common name for it is milkfish. What is great about this is that it holds the flavor of the marinade, does not take very long to pan fry, and it is a great, white and firm meat. You can find bangus, most likely, in your local Asian market, typically frozen.

Start by marinating fish. To a sealable plastic bag or medium-sized bowl, add vinegar, garlic, black peppercorns, and salt and mix to combine. Add bangus (in my case, they came portioned, most likely quartered). Mix, seal or cover, and marinate overnight.

The following morning, remove the bangus and place onto a plate. Pat both sides with paper towel and remove any peppercorns or garlic from the fish. Don’t worry if some stick on the fish. That’s extra flavor in my opinion!

Get a large skillet ready, and add oil. Bring to a medium-high heat. After a few minutes of warming the oil, lay in fillets, skin side down, and cook for about 4 minutes or until skin is nice and crispy. Once skin is crispy, gently flip and cook an additional 4 minutes.

During this time, plate cooked jasmine rice, cook eggs. Plate that, and get ready to feast.

Once fish is cooked, remove with a slotted spatula, preferably a fish spatula, and place on a paper towel lined plate to remove any excess oil. Remove fillets from the plate and onto the plate along with the rice and eggs. Serve with Thai bird chilies, and dig in.

I loved this dish, not only the flavor of the vinegar, garlic, and peppercorns but when that fish is mixed with the rice and eggs, you have one heck of a breakfast! If you cannot find the bangus, feel free to try the marinade on another firm white fish. Hope you enjoy!