
Pinaputok na Tilapia

Ingredients
1 kilo Tilapia gills removed and scaled and the back of the tilapia should be sliced to put the stuffing
1 tsp Magic sarap
1 pc red onion sliced to small cubes
1 pc tomato sliced to small cubes
1 stalk celery sliced thinly
2 Tbsp patis or fish sauce
Rock salt to rub the fish
Banana leaves for wrapping
Cooking oil for deep frying
For the sauce:
Kalamansi juice
Patis
Instructions:
* Prepare the cleaned and scaled tilapia by cleaning it after you bought it from the market. Clean the tilapia in running water and drain. Rub every fish with rock salt then set aside.
* Prepare the stuffing by combining the onions, tomatoes, celery, patis and magic sarap. Mix thoroughly then fill each tilapia with the stuffing using your hands and a spoon.
* Then wrap each fish with banana leaves. You don’t need to wrap it like a package.
* Heat the cooking oil, about 3 to 4 cups in a frying pan. Then put fish and cover it immediately because you might be spilled with boiling oil. That is why it is called pinaputok because of the fire cracker sound while frying the tilapia.
* When there is no cracking sound already, about 2 to 3 minutes, turn the fish on the other side and watch out again and cover the lid. After 2 to 3 minutes, it is ready to serve.
For the sauce: Combine kalamansi juice and patis.
(Manny/Panlasang Pinoy)