Pinatisang bangus (milkfish soup with fish sauce)

March 3, 2008 | Print This Post Print This Post

My fifteen-minute fish soup made with boneless bangus belly fillets, shallots, tomatoes, garlic and onion leaves. It went into the kids’ school lunch boxes.

pinatisang bangus, milkfish soup with fish sauce

There is much confusion about the nature of shallots as the name is often interchanged with scallions. In Southeast Asian cooking, shallots refer to small red onions; scallions are the onion leaves. In Filipino cooking, shallots are sibuyas Tagalog (Allium ascalonicum) which would make them “authentic” shallots as being one of the two species of the Allium plant that are considered true shallots.

Shallots are not absolutely necessary for this soup dish as sweet white onions will work just as well. But whole peeled shallots in the soup adds a more interesting texture and appearance to it.

Ingredients:

750 g. of bangus belly fillets
8 shallots
half a head of garlic
2-3 tomatoes
patis (fish sauce)
pepper
a bunch of onion leaves
2-3 tbsps. of cooking oil

Cooking procedure:

Crush and peel the garlic. Peel the shallots. Dice the tomatoes. Cut the onion leaves into one-inch lengths.

Cut the bangus belly fillets into serving size pieces. How large or how small depends entirely on you. I normally cut each fillet into four portions.

Heat the cooking oil in a pot. Saute the garlic, shallots and tomatoes for a couple of minutes or until the tomatoes start to soften and render color. Pour in about six cups of water. Season with patis.

Bring the water to the boil. Add the bangus belly fillets, allow to water to boil again, lower the heat and simmer for about three minutes. That’s really all it takes to cook the fish. Most people add the fish to the pot before pouring in the water but when you’re cooking fillets as thin as bangus belly, that’s a sure way of overcooking the fish. I like my fish to cook almost as soon as it goes into the water so that there is less chance that the meat will fall apart.

Add the onion leaves to the pot. Sprinkle with pepper. Stir gently and simmer for about 30 seconds longer.

Serve hot.

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    Comments

    11 Responses to “Pinatisang bangus (milkfish soup with fish sauce)”

    1. now a mom of 5 on March 3rd, 2008 1:12 pm

      how do you manage to make your kids eat meals like this in school? my kids complain about cold food even if their lunchboxes are rge expensive japanese ones that claim to keep food hpt.

    2. Connie on March 3rd, 2008 1:38 pm

      They have fully padded/insulated Coleman lunch bags so the food stays hot until lunch time. :)

    3. Suzie on March 3rd, 2008 7:24 pm

      My son will be having his lunch in school this coming school year. Where did you buy your Coleman lunch bag? Can you feature your the lunch bags :) for us to see.

    4. beng on March 3rd, 2008 9:24 pm

      hi connie! i like your soup galore entries! totally love it! i’m gonna make the miso soup soon as i find the ingredients. and i’ll try this pinatisan. maiba naman sa sinigang na bangus.

    5. Jet on March 6th, 2008 7:53 am

      Connie, gusto kong lutuin ito pero bangus belly is hardly ever available here. What other fish fillet would come close kaya? Seabass maybe, or halibut? Tilapia?

    6. Connie on March 6th, 2008 11:25 pm

      Suzie, why not? But you know, there is an old entry with photos of them. Just can’t remember which one.

      Beng, we’re having lots of soups these days so stay tuned for more. :)

      Jet, any fish will do, I suppose. What I’d really recommend is fish head. Salmon or tuna head. Yummy. LOL

    7. mareza on March 13th, 2008 10:46 am

      love this one,bangus belly is expensive here so i just buy the whole one. though lately i’m just broiling fish at low setting
      like tilapia,and bangus with soy sauce ,vinegar , garlic ,
      black pepper and salt.frying it the makes the whole house smell fish.it’s not the same but it is still great.
      …..it is still winter temp here and can’t do it outside.i also cooked shrimp with gata and with eggplant and green beans
      at the same time but can’t eat it.i’m going to the philippines
      next month i’ll check the resto you have tested,the husband is not going …lakwatsa lang

    8. grace on May 26th, 2008 11:05 pm

      is the pinatisang bangus belly same as pinangat?

    9. Connie on May 26th, 2008 11:12 pm

      no.

    10. Cristy on July 17th, 2008 2:25 pm

      Hello Ms. Connie,

      Does the food kept in Coleman lunch bag will really stays hot until lunch time? Bcoz I’ve bought one insulated lunch bag the brand is Biokips, the saleslady said food will stay hot for 9 hrs. but it’s nonesense. By lunch time, my food was so cold already. And I don’t like to eat cold food especially if my baon is rice & viand

    11. Connie on July 17th, 2008 6:40 pm

      Yes, Cristy, the food stays hot until lunchtime according to my kids.

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