In the Kitchen: Tortilla Empanada with Tamarong Fish Filling

Good morning moms! How are you doing on a Monday?

Yesterday, I decided to have a relleno. Not exactly though, just the filling only...and since there's no bangus these days in town, I just use the tamarong fish. I don't know how you call this fish in your own dialect or in Tagalog, but that's it's name in Hiligaynon. See this photo from Flickr.What happens in town kasi, is pag yun ang kuha ng mga dakilang fishermen sa amin, yun na lahat ang isda na mabibili mo from the vendors. Unless during our marketing day, Wednesday and Saturday that vendors flock in a place and offer a variety of fish which they get from other towns.

So, it seems that these days are tamarong days... =) That's why if you stick to the common ways of cooking this kind of fish, always, your taste buds are going to crave for something different. What I like to do with this is to fry it and cook vegetables with it like laswa, or just sauteed vegetables with fried fish. 

OK. Let's go back to relleno...I'm not gonna call it with that anymore because when we say relleno, what comes to mind is always the fried bangus with a filling inside. So, let's say it's a Tamarong Fish Filling. =)

Ingredients:

2 eggs, beaten

4 medium sized tamarong, boiled, bones and skin removed (fillet) mashed

garlic and onion

cooking oil

salt and seasoning

black pepper

1 medium sized carrot, diced

1 small potato, diced

raisins

1/8 cup water

Procedure:

1. Mix thoroughly the mashed fish meat and egg. Set aside.

2. Saute the garlic, onion, carrot and potato.

3. Put a pinch of salt and seasoning, add water. I just needed a very small amount of water enough to tenderize the veggies.

4. When tender and almost no water is left, add the fish and egg mixture.

5. Season to taste, you may add a little black pepper  and raisins and just mix until it is cooked.

Yan na ang filling, pero inulam namin yan and I'm so happy napadami ang kain ng niece and son ko! =D

But then, I found some flour in the kitchen and just made a tortilla dough  and stuffed it with this filling, sealed and fried it just like an empanada.

Not bad for the first time, right?

Guys, I'm not born in a family of cooks or chefs, but I am teaching myself, experimenting, trying, documenting, and always inspired to make it. Just like my sister who has become a pastry chef in a cruise ship. 

As long as the people I love enjoyed the meal I prepared, I'm satisfied with what I made and I'm happy to share them with you. If you happen to have suggestions to make the dish better, I am happy to read it from you. Please feel free to comment on. I love learning!

I'd like to leave you with a quote that has inspired me not to be hopeless in the kitchen ever since I heard it:

"Anyone can cook"

                                                                                                   - Gusteau in the movie Ratatouille