A supremely fresh, just under 700 gram talakitok has just made its way back from the market and the only other dish on the menu for lunch was the pinakbet in the previous post… the default treatment? FRY IT, of course. What diet!?! It’s LENT, after all, 
and what better excuse to eat fish? Of course the other brilliant pairing for pinakbet would be some lechon kawali… I realize there are tons of alternative, healthier ways to have cooked this fish, but I just felt like eating fried fish. Firm white meat, not overcooked, a little crunch at the edges, some caramelization going on with the skin, sea salt sprinkled on the skin’s surface… all served with a homemade chilli vinegar… Grilling this fish over a charcoal flame would have probably been less fattening, but that’s okay… you only live once. I think. Do you think you have to eat in heaven? Or can you get a rare steak in hell? Heehee. I am joking, folks. Don’t get all huffy on me…
I like talakitoks and have had several related posts before, click on these links if you are interested:
Talakitok, the fish
Talakitok at the market
Grilled Talakitok 1
Grilled Talakitok 2
Talakitok with a Thai Sweet & Sour Style Sauce
Fried Talakitok with Mustasa Salad
11 Responses
I love silver trevally (talakitok in oz) cos there’s not a lot of bones =) i’ve caught several of these in my fishing trips and you’re right nothing beats fresh trevally. i use calamansi and patis as sawsawan =) damn! i’m getting hungry again and i just ate dinner =(
There is something so satisfying about fried fish! I can work on one for hours and at the end it’s just a pile of bones :) And nothing, but nothing, beats the head of a fried fish!
You know, I don’t think it’s that much more fattening ;)
Satap naman. At konti lang talaga ang tinik!
I very much favor this fish fried rather than grilled with a mixture of patis, kalamansi, chopped siling haba and onion as dipping sauce. Pinakbet is a good duo too. I love to pair it also with sinigang na baboy in sampalok with lots of green and red tomatoes and mustasa. Joey, I totally agree with you the head is indeed the best part of the fish. It is really the best catch of the day! I even eat the head bones for added calcium intake of the day.
At home, the talakitok sometimes got a light coating of cornstarch before frying for extra crunch. As an alternate to usual dipping sauces of vinegar and soy, or patis and calamansi, this fish also goes very well with indonesian-style sweet soy sauce and cilantro. Yum!
Yum! That looks delicious! I miss fried whole fish.
I think the American name for this fish is golden pompano? Maybe not, but it looks like one, and I love this fish not only fried but also cooked as “pinangat†with kamias, cherry tomatoes, a little vinegar, salt and lots of oil toward the end. Heavenly specially for breakfast.
The second picture is a much rounder fish, is it the same as the golden pomfret? It’s my favorite, best for sinigang!
Does anyone else eat the eyes? I love digging through the nooks and corners of a fried fish to get all the sweet meat hidden in the cheeks and protected by bones. Sweet and tasty, healthy no matter what (better than those fried fish patties in fast food places).
Yum! I also eat the palikpik when they are crunchy and love it when there are fish eggs in the belly! I’m hungry na!!! (Great visuals and vivid descriptions!)
Mila, I like the stuff around the eyes :)