It’s one of my readers’ all-time favorite fish dishes, fried daing na bangus, according to a poll I ran a couple of years ago. Not only is it delicious and addictive, it is relatively abundant in Manila and is reasonably priced vis-a-vis other fish. I realized I had never made a marinated daing na bangus from scratch, and I wanted to see if there was a way to make it better at home, rather than just buying marinated bangus or doing a last minute marinade before frying. The first step was finding some good bangus. At the Nasubgu market the other day, I noticed an elderly lady making short shrift of bangus bones as she expertly removed hundreds of bones from small bangus in seconds…
…it was a wonderful sight. Skill and expertise borne out of thousands of fish she had de-boned over the years. Some things I never aspire to, and deboning a bangus properly is one of those things. :) After chatting for a few minutes, the lady picked out six small-medium sized bangus for me, weighing in at roughly 333 grams each (3 to a kilo) and she de-boned them while I waited and chatted. At 71, and with perfect eyesight, she worked and talked at the same time. At PHP130 a kilo (I didn’t even bother to bargain) these bangus came out to roughly 43.33 each and would serve one of me just fine, but really serve two normal diners.
Having made the effort to find the freshest fish and having it deboned right in front of my eyes, my next task was to assemble the finest ingredients in the house for two versions of boneless Daing na Bangus a la Marketman. The first batch included vinegar, salt, black pepper and garlic. I used organic coconut vinegar, artisanal local sea salt without iodine, freshly ground tellicherry black peppercorns and garlic that was peeled and smashed in a mortar and pestle. For each fish roughly 250-275 grams (after de-gutting and de-boning), I sprinkled roughly 2 teaspoons of salt, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, generous amounts of pepper, and several cloves of garlic.
For a second batch, I added some Thai fish sauce (patis) and a little bit of Kikkoman soy sauce and a couple of siling labuyo chopped up. I “sun-dried” the bangus for a couple of hours (it wasn’t that hot or sunny), a process that is similar to making lamayo, allows a slight breakdown, and dare I say decomposition or rotting of the meat that aids flavor? No, it isn’t spoiled, but it has a slightly added flavor dimension, I hope. If you are queasy about this step, or don’t have an hour to stand watching the spread-eagled fish under the sun, swatting away flies and glaring at hungry neighborhood cats, then skip this step. Luckily, there didn’t seem to be ANY flies at the beach last weekend, and there were no cats, either.
After their “tanning” session to develop that little whiff of skankiness (I jest here, the salt and vinegar do not really allow putrification of the scary kind), I put the bangus fillets into plastic zip lock bags and let them marinate in the fridge overnight (actually, a total of 20 hours before we fried the fish or put them into the freezer for longer storage). The next morning, I added a copious amount of vegetable oil to a fish pan, set the fire on high until the oil was very hot, and carefully slipped a bangus fillet into the oil. I didn’t bother to flip the fish, as I find that risks meat “break-up” and I like my bangus to have a little bit of moisture left, particularly if it is freshly made. It took only 3-4 minutes to cook the fish until lightly golden brown.
The taste? Superb. Of course I am biased because I made it, but the version with patis and kikkoman and chilis were definitely more interesting that than the classic plainer version. You don’t get much heat from the chilies, so add enough to suit your tastebuds. Also, know that you must salt GENEROUSLY or the final product will appear bland. If properly seasoned, the bangus is good even without vinegar or patis, but of course I had a dipping sauce on the side. What I can definitely say is that you should try and make this from scratch. Most of the work is done at the market. The marinating is easy peasy, and the satisfaction from frying up your OWN daing na bangus combined with the fresh and personally tailored seasoning is worth the effort.
73 Responses
ay kalami! my mom marinades the bangus in soy sauce and kalamansi, garlic and black pepper. she then tops it with fried onion rings. pass the sinangag rice please.
Gia, that’s how the cook does it for lunch or dinner, sans the onions which I have always thought is a great idea (kinda like Bangus Filipino (Bistek without the meat))… but for breakfast, I like the “lighter?” versions with acharra and rice… :)
one of my favorite easy-to-cook fish meal, can’t go wrong with the marinade :)
Hi MM – In your 5th paragraph, 5th line I think you meant “:I added a copious amount of vegetable OIL in a fish pan …”
Daing na bangus is a delicous anytime meal. recently, I have discovered, aside from acharra, I also love pairing it with sliced ripe tomatoes with calamansi and fresh delicious guinamos from Cebu!
Looks really good. I think the vinegar used to marinade the bangus really makes the difference. Vinegar from tuba would make a different taste
Carol, thanks, the post has been edited.
I am actually having this for breakfast right now. Home-made daing na bangus. Prepared yesterday, cooked today. But I’ve never really tried putting them under the sun since our place isn’t fit for that, what with the smoke from vehicles (we’re on the main road with a school and hospital just a few minutes’ walk away), dust, and a LOT of people. But when I visit my parents in Bulacan, I just might try it.
Indeed! One of the classic Pinoy dish. It is my favorite breakfast dish with egg and fried rice.
Daing na bangus is a staple here, but i just buy the frozen marinated Seaking or Century brands. My mom used to make a batch from scratch like your “plain” version the ref smell of vinegar and pepper for days! :)))
Now I must try the one with patis and kikoman!
Yum! My mom used to marinate bangus herself and it was always good. Another dish she used to make (one of my all-time favorites) is bistig bangus (from Pampanga?). Just like bistek–like you mentioned MM–but with milkfish instead of meat. I loved the lemon/soy sauce marinade that would end up being the sauce. With onions, of course. These days, I buy the pre-marinated, frozen kind so I can only imagine how good your homemade versions were.
Waaah! I miss bangus. Can’t find bangus here. It’s one of my fave fish. I like the sawsawan to be patis, vinegar and kalamnsi.
Yum! That’s a perfectly fried daing na bangus!
I am toying with the idea of using pinakurat as marinade but maybe add more kalamansi to offset (just a tiny bit) of the spiciness. Hmmmm.
i really don’t like buying the marinated bangus in the groceries. first of all, i don’t really know what goes in there and secondly, leaving the fish in salt for too long a time dries the flesh out considerably.
I do make daing na bangus from scratch using sukang Paombong + rock salt + lots of crushed garlic and black pepper.
Last Sunday, freshly harvested bangus with bones sold for P85.00/kg at the Malolos wet market, while it cost P120-130/kg here in the Metro. A big boneless bangus (about 2 pcs per kilo) sells for P 70.00/pc.
I could almost smell the daing the bangus frying from your first picture. Yum!
yummy! one of my favorites :) i also make daing na bangus from scratch be it boneless or not. For boneless, i buy one or two whole bangus (less than a kilo each) and ask the vendor to slice it for daing and debone, of course for additional fee on top of the bangus’ price. I use vinegar (i like to use cane vinegar most of the time), salt, ground pepper and a pinch of sugar. Then I put it on an air tight container and let it marinate inside the refrigerator overnight with the meat side down.
this made me hungry… :)
if you don’t want to put it under the sun you can use a zip lock bag and remove the air and marinate at least 24hrs. I also like to juice the garlic rather than crushing it only specially if you are using those china garlic.
The kids and I love daing na bangus. The problem is I hate while frying it. Sobrang matalsik. Any tips to minimize or prevent this?
BTW here in Singapore there is an abundant fresh milkfish nowadays either in the wet market or supermarket which only cost around S$4-5/kg or around P130-160/kg. I believe there’s already a nearby farm either in Malaysia or Indonesia. One thing is that they still don’t know how to debone it, so I have to do it myself. Its really a pain :(
My rule on Milkfish (Bangus):
– On Paksiw and daing, do not remove skale (kaliskis) also do not cut the belly even when you are cleaning them so that the fat will not dissolve during cooking. Removing the scale you will also removing fats/omega oil on the skin.
– On daing na bangus, sprinkle a bit of flour on the belly fat so the fat will not dissolve during frying.
– I only use Kamias, Bayabas, fresh sampalok or santol for sinigang na bangus. My mom use to have it with green mango which I have yet to try.
Pilar, splattering is inevitable. But I suspect the more oil you use, and if you have a slighly higher-sided frying pan, the splattering will be minimized. Surprisingly, I once had bangus grilled with the marinade (I suspect oil was added and brushed onto the fish before laying it on the grill) and it was also delicious. It seems a bit unusual, and you definitely miss the fat and crisped edges, but you get a healthier, tasty and smokey version instead.
Wow, is this the legendary fish pan, cornerstone of Marketmanila.com?
Risa, one of them. :) We have teflon, copper, stainless… :)
I make our daing na bangus from scratch too! And with the added 10pesos from the suki fishmonger, she will debone it for me. I use kalamansi instead of vinegar and make a paste garlic (local), black pepper and sea salt. Then rub garlic paste on fish (every nook and cranny of the meat) and let it marinade for an hour on the counter. My technique for less oil spatter is remove most of the marinade off the fish. :) hope this helps!
i think patting the fish dry with paper towels should help with the splatter. or a light dusting of cornstarch
That looks amazing. Bangus brings back memories of Sunday morning breakfasts… golden brown bangus, fragrant sinangag and hot chocolate! Mmmmmm….
this is my ultimate favorite! a staple for me especially im away from home.. having been based in Dubai for four years.. never came a month without daing na bangus on our menu,,,
Bangus deboned in the wet market often have some bones left especially near the tail. So I tried to debone the fish myself. But some of the meat comes out with the bone, which cause the meat to fall apart when fried. Does anyone have any tip?
Oh yes, daing na bangus! With a vinegar-crushed garlic-siling labuyo dip and three cups of rice, please! Heehee… It’s one of the first things my mom taught me to make (the very first was tortang talong) and it remains one of my steadfast favorites.
I was just thinking of daing na bangus over the weekend as it was cold and rainy!! I envy your fresh mikfish Mr. Marketman, I can only get frozen ones from a Vietnamese place, debone and marinate the bangus myself. More flavoursome than the marinated frozen ones from the Filipino store.
Anyone knows of fresh bangus in Sydney?
To Norma, since I got the milkfish frozen, I usually debone it when it is just slightly frozen. I get most of the bones out and the meat does not fall apart. I am not sure if this has been done before but it seems to work for me.
I miss daing na bangus! I have to try the “bistek” version, will try that soon! Thanks for the mouth-watering pics. :)
MM,
We usually buy the Sarangani bangus at the Filipino supermarket near us. The daing na bangus is boneless and already marinated. We use to fry it outside of the house using the the Weber grill side burner. Since my wife and I have been cutting back on fried foods we have been baking the bangus in the oven around 350 for 30 minutes. The kids loved this bangus especially inthe weekends when every body gets together for breakfast.
I did remember my lola used to make bangus ala bistek version. It was good and look forward tasting it next year if we go home for her 100th birthday.
Jr.
Makes me crave LZM’s bangus. I’ve never had bangus so full of flavor. Hindi na kelangan ng sawsawan. That’s why whenever we go to Tagaytay, we always make it a point to pass by the place.
This post reminds me that we “discovered” LZM bangus because of your blog. Thank you! :)
I remember frying these without a shirt on, and having to use the pan’s lid as a shield against the splatters of frying oil.
Skankiness, indeed.
Hi MM, very happy to see that you haven’t completely disappeared! Since we can’t get fresh bangus here in NA (we can get the premarinated daing though), wondering your (and other readers’) thoughts on using locally available fatty fish such as salmon or arctic char?
I love making daing na bangus even here in Southern California. But lately, the big bangus turned out very smelly, smells like “gilik”. I remember this very obnoxious flavor after big storms flood big fish pens in the Philippines specially the ones at Laguna Bay. I cannot even imagine how these “gilik” flavored bangus made it’s way here in San Francisco. From now on, I only trust the small Pangasinan bangus from Seafood City. I will never give up for my search for the perfect bangus because I love them very much. I never buy the marinated, ready to fry, boneless bangus. I like mine crunchy by frying the bone-in bangus longer on medium heat.
Wouldn’t it be awesome to have genetically altered boneless bangus?
I can definitely survive on daily servings of bangus.
MM, try this salmon recipe ( from Allrecipes.com) but substitute 2 medium size butterflied bangus…..really good and I like it because it cooks very quickly and does not need frying.
2 medium size butterflied bangus
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
DIRECTIONS:
1. Season fish with salt and pepper, onion powder, and red pepper flakes. Set aside in a baking dish.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, balsamic vinegar, sugar, green onions, and
cilantro. Pour marinade over fish; cover, and refrigerate overnight, or at least 6 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
4. Arrange fish on a broiling sheet. Place in a preheated oven, and bake for 5 minutes. Increase heat to
500 degrees F (260 degrees C), turn fillets, and broil 5 minutes more
DC try recipe above for your salmon.
I haven’t had milk fish for so long. That looks great.
DC…since wild salmon is about 8 to 10 pounds, it will work if you make just the fillets daing-ed? The whole fish is quite huge or you might have to cut it into quarters.
Hey, Connie C. I do the same …well almost the same marinade for my fish, pork chops, steaks…I season them first wiht my all purpose spice blend (my very own!), then in an almires…pound garlic, then add canola oil and squirts of sesame oil, LEA and PERRINS, minced cilantro (though I have omitted the cilantro for the boys do not like the smell….amoy you know what daw! Instead I subbed it with sundried tomatoes and minced basil. Then BARBECUE and tingnan ko kung hindi ka bisitahin ng kapitabahy mo!
Since it has very little sugar at all (maybe only in the Leas and Perrins), this will be good for your hubby!
Hits the spot, since I could eat daing na bangus for breakfast, lunch and dinner always with a side dish of cherry tomatoes. We have to make do with is available in the frozen section of our little Filipino store.
mmmmm! goes perfect with soysauce, vinegar, ketchup, worchestershire (spelling?) sauce and bagoong! too bad you can’t really have a REALLY boneless bangus hehe…
oh yeah! what i usually do to prevent the splattering is to dredge the fish in some flour (your choice if you would want to season it with some additional salt or pepper).. hope it works for everyone! :)
yum!!! now i’m craving for daing na bangus…
i am in the office and just starving. it’s time to go home and no bangus to fry!
i have to go to the filipino market this weekend. connie c, your recipe sounds
good.
I tried making daing na bangus using APPLE CIDER VINEGAR (with the usual garlic, salt & pepper) and the taste is also amazing!
Once I tried to de-bone 1 kilo of bangus and that experience instilled in me great respect for those who do that for a living:) Will definitely try this version MM.
Yes bettyQ, wish I were your kapitbahay.
I love barbecue but I don’t like barbecuing. And reminds me ,you are the only person I know who barbecues in wintry weather.
Grabe, that looks so yummy!!!
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WHO: Eat, Write, Love: a food writing workshop
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WHEN: October 16, 2010 –> 11am to 4pm
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Marinated deboned or non- marinated deboned bangus is available here in Northern California in both Filipino or Asian (Chinese/Korean) grocery stores. It is cheaper in the Asian store than in the Filipino store even if the brand is the same (Sarangani). This is one of my favorite Filipino dish and just looking at the picture makes me hungry.
i forgot to add that i also use garlic for the marinade.
if given a chance i would like to learn how to debone a milkfish :)
To those interested in doing it yourself (DIY) boneless bangus.
https://www.mixph.com/2007/07/how-to-debone-bangus-milkfish.html
Hi everyone! If you pass by the Country Market of Paseo de Sta. Rosa on your way to Tagaytay, you can get your boneless bangus with no extra charges. Just ask the fish vendors to do it for you. One of the perks of living near the area, though most products are priced a bit higher than other markets.
Thanks for your posts Marketman! Please keep it up…
Hi Ms. Betty Q,
pa share naman po ng all purpose spice blend nyo.
Salamat po!
Hi Connie C and bettyq! Thanks for the healthy recipe!!
One of my all-time favorite emergency foods! Would stock marinating bangus in the freezer for too-lazy-to-market days or when unexpected visitors come in for lunch or dinner! :D
i still eat this most of the time, but have had bad experiences eating it outside of the most time where the fish causes my mouth to itch. Like makati talaga yung isda. I never figured out if it was the fish, the handling or the marinade. So now, I just stick to what we make.
thanks for the link junb!
one of my favorites!
i remember being invited to lunch by a newly-wed couple many years ago. the wifey planned to serve daing na bangus and had gone to the market early had gone to market that morning to buy bangus. by the time we got to their house, she had the bangus marinating in a pan that she shoved up the low roof of the garage. we were happily chatting away in the garden when we saw two cats stealthily climbing down from the roof, one bangus in each mouth. the hubby gave chase, to no avail. and that is how we ended up with lumpiang corned beef for lunch instead!
Hi MM, your post on daing na bangus made me crave for it. I am on a 14-day New England-Canada cruise where the fish served is always salmon. In a few more weeks I can eat fried daing na bangus again. I’m so happy seeing you blogging again MM.
I eat the most rice when I eat daing na bangus. Sinful! hehehehehe
I love daing na bangus, but for me the belly is the best part!
ay kalami gyud! yes, i find the smaller bangus tastier than the 500g one found in the supermarket.
when i buy the saranggani bangus, defrost then add in the pinakurat vinegar, lots of garlic and marinate again.
I will definitely try the one with siling labuyo =)
You should try the boneless bangus of LZM Restaurant in Silang, Cavite. It’s located near the Riviera Gold Course. They also have a branch in Magallanes Square, Tagaytay. One of the best bangus ever!
Happy to see posts again MM! My mom-in-law used to marinate young mackerel that was given to us by friends when it’s in season here. Of course there’s no fat belly but it still tastes great. I need to try your marinade w/the chili peppers.
El Ramoncito, I wrote about LZM many years ago, post is in the archives.
Hi Connie C.,
Just wanted to let you know that we tried your recipe and my husband loved it! (I loved it too.) As MM would say, it’s a keeper. =)
p.s. i know several people who barbeque in winter, in toronto! =)
Hi sunflowii: Glad you liked the recipe. Can’t take full credit. Just discovered it and liked it enough to share. Happy cooking.
I am salivating now, just looking at those daing na bangus photos, love it, yum!!! I will try the patis and kikkoman marinade for a change. Thanks, MM
hi MM..you were at Nasugbu last weekend??..im living here at nasugbu near the azucarera..where did you stay here??..fuego??you were a guest probably?..i used to work there and is still visiting once in a while every weekend, sayang i was not able to meet you kahit sa market..hehehe..btw have you tried eating at kainan sa dalampasigan here??a restaurant at the town proper??food there was great, their bilao which includes variety of food, tanigue steak, binalot sa dahon, halo-halo, leche flan and a lot more..hope to see you soon…God Bless MM..:)
I, too, love daing na bangus. However, my tastebuds are sometimes quite sensitive. There are days when I feel nauseated by the taste or smell of daing na bangus. I think it also depends on it’s “timpla” (how it was marinated) or its ingredients or perhaps how the bangus was fried. I hate a fresh garlic smell.
Please share some more tips on how to correctly marinate and fry daing na bangus.
is it better to fry on the skin side or on the meat side and flip it over? i want something crunchy on the outside but moist on the inside. thanks.