Among the best parts of Filipino cuisine is how it rarely shies away from incorporating a great and wild variety of ingredients into its dishes. In such a way, Filipino cooks are able to be both extravagant and innovative in their creations. Pinaputok na Tilapia stands as one of those recipes– filled to the brim with onions, ginger and tomatoes to grant our usually milder-tasting fish a much richer flavor.
This comes as no surprise, considering the name of the dish. Pinaputok, in Filipino, means “burst”. And perhaps just from its exterior, we can see just how directly the dish was titled. But biting into one of these can tell you another story to the name, as it is bursting with great taste and varying textures.
If you’re ever wondered how to grill (or bake) yourself a delicious, crisp Pinaputok na Tilapia, we’ve got just the steps for you!
For our fish to have a lovely amount of flavorful stuffing, we will be creating about 2 to 3 slits on each side of the tilapia. This also ensures that everything we will use to season the fish can seep through easily. Make sure that the cut reaches the bones for more space for our tomatoes and other ingredients.
Then start spreading approximately 1 teaspoon of salt on each side of the tilapia. Wait for 15 minutes so it can absorb the taste of the salt. As you wait, you can start working on what we’ll pack into our fish. Take 1 medium unripe tomato that you’ve cubed, 1 small yellow onion that’s chopped, 1 teaspoon of minced ginger, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and some salt and ground black pepper to your taste. Start mixing these together in a medium bowl.
Afterwards, scoop a good amount of this up, and start stuffing this into the cavity of the tilapia. Make the most of the space inside the slits. Do this by trying to get all of the mixture inside if you can. Furthermore, you should ensure that under the fish’s body, there is a cut made to take out innards.
Let’s pick up some aluminum foil, and wrap our tilapia with it after it is completely filled with the mixture. Now proceed to grill both sides of the fish for 12 minutes. After that, you’re all ready with a succulent plate of the most delicious stuffed Tilapia!
Got a hankering for more irresistibly savory tilapia dishes like this one? Here’s a bunch of recipes I can recommend!
Grilled Tilapia
Somewhat similar to our previous recipe, this Grilled Tilapia is filled with a beautiful mixture of tomatoes, onions and other seasonings. One of the main differences is that the stuffing contains considerably less ingredients. If you are looking for a dish with less of the Pinaputok na Tilapia’s strong taste, this might be a good choice to look at.
Furthermore, learning this recipe may prove to be useful in the future. After all, this tends to be a crowd favorite in Filipino gatherings. This is especially true for those set up right beside the sea or on the beach. Try your hand at this quick and easy Grilled Tilapia recipe! You can make it in a little over a half hour.
Fried Tilapia
Simple can truly be best at times. And in the case of tilapia, sometimes frying it and sprinkling on the right spices can already do wonders for its flavor. Take a shot at this Fried Tilapia recipe so you can treat yourself and the family to some tasty freshwater fish that’s gorgeously crisp on the outside, and lusciously tender on the inside.
And because of its simplicity, this dish works fantastic with most other ingredients you’d like to add to it. I’ve said in this recipe that I truly enjoy trying this with some fermented fish sauce and rice, as well as a whole tomato. You could also serve it with some Ensaladang Tagalog. Feel free to experiment with various side dishes for this dish!
Ginataang Tilapia
While a crunchy fried tilapia can already work terrifically well on its own, there’s no denying that soaking it in a creamy stew of wondrous coconut milk could enhance its flavor further. Try combining the previous recipe with the ginataan method for this recipe! Cooking tilapia with some coconut cream can integrate notes of light sweetness to your saltier dishes.
Another great factor to this recipe is its splash of spinach. This can meld well with the crispy golden brown exterior of your fish. Some delicious textures and flavors truly come together for a good Ginataang Tilapia.
Baked Tilapia with Grilled Pineapple Salsa
Been thinking of ways to get creative with your fish? This Baked Tilapia with Grilled Pineapple Salsa is a great go-to recipe for when you are looking to surprise party guests or your family with some innovative cooking skills. They may never be able to guess that it takes just about 12 minutes to make!
This also provides a much-deserved sugary twist to your soft tilapia fillets! And because you grill it, it doesn’t use up oil like a fried tilapia would. This can be a great substitute for when you’re trying to get healthy! Give this appetizing semi-spicy dish a try in your kitchen!
But if you’d like to look further, I listed my 10 best ways of having tilapia. With this article, you can widen your knowledge on cooking with this ever-adaptable freshwater fish. But if you’ve got any more suggestions or questions about the Pinaputok na Tilapia, don’t forget to send us a comment below!
Pinaputok na Tilapia Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Make about 2 to 3 slits on each side of the tilapia deep enough to reach the bones.
- Rub about 1 teaspoon of salt per side. Let the fish absorb the flavor for about 15 minutes.
- Combine the tomato, onion, mango, ginger, lemon juice, salt, and ground black pepper in a medium bowl. Mix well.
- Scoop the tomato and onion mixture and stuff inside the cavity of the tilapia. Try to stuff all the mixture, if possible. Note that the tilapia should have a cut under the body due to removal of the innards.
- Wrap the tilapia in an aluminum foil. Make sure that everything is covered.
- Preheat oven to 370 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake the tilapia for 20 minutes. (or grill each side of the fish for 10 minutes)
- Remove the tilapia from the oven and then open the top so that the fish is exposed. Brush the cooking oil over the fish.
- Change the settings of the oven to broil (about 510 degrees Fahrenheit). Put the fish back-in with the exposed top. Broil for 15 minutes.
- Remove the fish from the oven and serve with toyomansi.
- Share and enjoy!
Ana says
Hi,
Tried cooking with this recipe and came out perfect, Taste good.
I have been your follower since 5yrs. ago.
Thanks for your creative tasty recipes.
God bless you.
Ana
bluebird says
My version of Pinaputok na Tilapia is that -- I add 1 tablespoon of BUTTER in the stuffings so that I do not need to brush cooking oil anymore. Mas masarap…mas mabango pa!
ramon says
i’ll try this on new year’s day…the right occassion for “pinaputok”…get it..haha.
eli says
i really enjoyed watching your cooking style…thanks for sharing all of these recipe from our land.
more and more recipe pls…