Milkfish facts and recipes that you can make easily at home. The milkfish is a fish that is found in both salt and fresh water. It is a popular food fish in many parts of the world.
The milkfish is a schooling fish and can be found in large groups. It feeds mainly on plankton, but can also eat small fish and shrimp.
It is a mild-tasting fish that can be cooked in many ways. Some people like to fry the milkfish, while others prefer to bake it or grill it.
What Is Milkfish Called?
The milkfish is a fish that has many different names depending on the geographic location where it is caught.
In the United States it is most often called “bangus,” in the Philippines, “maliputo,” and in India, “karimeen.” It can also be referred to as a “kingfish” or a “butterfish”. The milkfish is also known as Chanos chanos.
Milkfish Facts
It is a common salt- and freshwater fish found in many tropical and subtropical areas of the world. It is an important food fish in Asia and parts of Africa. The milkfish can reach up to 2 m (6.6 ft) in length and it can weigh up to 40 kg (88 lbs).
The fish is a schooling fish and it lives in both salt and fresh water. It feeds mainly on plankton, but it also eats small fish and shrimp.
What Does Milkfish Taste Like?
Milkfish tastes similar to catfish when cooked. The meat is white flaky flesh with a mildly chewy texture that flakes easily.
It is typically deep-fried or baked with herbs and spices, but can also be cooked in soup, sauteed, poached, grilled, broiled, or steamed.
The milkfish is highly valued as a food fish. It is often consumed fried or baked. Because of its mild flavor, it readily adapts to most recipes.
The meat of the milkfish is white and flaky when cooked; it can be compared to cod in terms of texture and taste. Milkfish fry tastes much like a squid when cooked.
Milkfish Fillet Fry Recipe
Milkfish can be bought in most stores that sell most types of fish. Milkfish is also commonly cooked as whole fish which can be grilled or fried.
This is a simple milkfish recipe that anyone even amateur cooks can make at home.
Ingredients:
1 lb. Milkfish Fillets
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 tablespoons Olive Oil or Vegetable Oil
Lemon wedges (optional)
How to cook milkfish?
Rinse the milkfish fillets in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
Spread the flour on a large plate and season with salt and pepper.
Dredge the fillets in the flour until well covered, shaking off the excess.
Heat up a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the oil to it.
Add the floured milkfish fillets and fry each side of the fish for 2 minutes or until golden brown.
Transfer the fried milkfish to a serving platter and serve with lemon wedges if desired.
Milkfish Fillet Recipe
Equipment
- Frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 alb Milkfish Fillets
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Lemon wedges
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Rinse the milkfish fillets in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
- Spread the flour on a large plate and season with salt and pepper.
- Dredge the fillets in the flour until well covered, shaking off the excess.
- Heat up the frying pan over medium-high heat and add the oil to it.
- Add the floured milkfish fillets and fry each side of the fish for 2 minutes or until golden brown.
- Transfer the fried milkfish to a serving platter and serve with lemon wedges if desired.
Notes
Other Interesting Recipes
Milkfish Benefits
The milkfish has proteins, Vitamin A, and calcium-containing phosphorus which all contribute to the growth development, and maintenance of healthy bones, teeth, and tissue. It also has Vitamin B-6 which helps support the nervous system.
The fish has Carbohydrates, cholesterol, saturated fat, and sodium which can all contribute to health problems such as heart disease.
A 3 oz serving of milkfish contains 170 calories, 7 grams of protein 22 milligrams of cholesterol
Any food that is prepared by frying, baking, poaching, broiling, or boiling fish will increase the amount of calories and fat present in the milkfish. This can be avoided by grilling or steaming.
The milkfish is a popular food fish in many parts of the world. It can be cooked in various ways, including deep-frying and steaming.
What Do Milkfish Eat?
Milkfish feed mainly on plankton, which it gulp while keeping its mouth wide open. The milkfish’s scales are very sharp to protect itself from predators who try to eat it.
Best Bait For Milkfish
The best bait for catching milkfish is shrimp. When fishing for milkfish it is best to use a fish net and to use rigor mortis on the shrimp before using it as bait.
Importance Of Milkfish
milkfish is a very important source of food for several countries in Africa and Asia. It is a popular dish in the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.
Milkfish Catch Limit
In California, there is a legal limit for milkfish that you can keep at 10 pounds or less.
Conclusion
Milkfish is healthy and tasty. It is easy to prepare and cook. It is also versatile and can be prepared in different ways and can be included in different dishes.
I hope this post on Milkfish facts has helped you learn more about this interesting type of fish. You can also try the recipe if you have some milkfish fillet.
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I recently grilled milkfish (Awa) for tacos and they were excellent!