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Lapu-Lapu Badjao Recipe

Lapu-Lapu Badjaoby The Flavour of Manila

Christmas is just around the corner. And what a better way to celebrate it with this colorf ul and f lavorf uldish. Your love ones will surely be amazed and tummy f ull. Lapu-Lapu Badjao was the specialty of BadjaoInn back in 1970's.

1 large Lapu-Lapu

1 kilo tahong

1 kilo halaan

½ kilo shrimp

2 tbsp kinchay

½ tsp ground black pepper

1½ tsp salt

8 leaves f resh basil

6 cloves garlic

2 red bird's eye chili

1 medium sized onion

1 green pepper (siling haba)

½ inch ginger

Banana leaf

olive oil

Aluminum f oil

For garnishing:

10 cloves chopped garlic

8 leaves f resh basil, chopped

1 lemon (sliced into circles)

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

olive oil

1. Steam the tahong and halaan until they open. Take half thehalaan, remove the meat and place in a container. Take half thetahong, remove the meat and place in the same container. Takearound 3/4 of the shrimp, Remove the shells, de-vein, and thenplace in the same container. Allow the halaan and tahong to cool down a bit. Put them all on a choppingboard and chop all f inely. Place back in the container.

2. You have some remaining unshelled shrimp and half of both the halaan and tahong still in the shells. Justset them aside f or now.

3. Take the green pepper (siling haba), remove the seeds and chop f inely. Chop around 8 big leaves off resh basil. Chop the same amount of kinchay. Grate the ginger f inely with a cheese grater. Chop two redbird's eye chili. Put them all in the same container with the halaan, tahong and shrimp. Mix well.

4. Sautee the garlic and onion in olive oil in a pan f or a f ew minutes on medium-low heat until the onionbecomes sof t and the garlic becomes slightly brown. The reason why this can't be on high heat is becauseit will brown the garlic quickly and make it bitter.

5. Turn the heat to medium high and then throw in the shrimp, tahong, halaan and vegetable mixture youmade into the pan. Add the ground black pepper and salt and stir f or several minutes until the shrimp iscooked. This is now your stuf f ing f or the f ish. Allow to cool f or several minutes.

6. In the meantime, prepare your Lapu-Lapu. Cut the stomach side of the f ish so you can open it up like abook. Caref ully remove the backbone. You can have them do this in the market. Salt the outside of the f ishon both sides.

7. Place a large piece of aluminum f oil on a f lat surf ace. Take your banana leaf and pass it caref ully andquickly over the f ire on your stove to make the leaf more pliable. Place the banana leaf on the aluminum f oil.Place the f ish on the banana leaf .

8. Open the f ish and stuf f the cavity with your stuf f ing. You don't have to jam all the stuf f ing in. If it 'salready f ull, you can set aside extra stuf f ing in the ref f or the meantime (you can make tortang talong outof that if you like at a later t ime).

9. Caref ully close the f ish back up again, and if it doesn't close all the way, that's OK. Wrap the banana leafcompletely over the f ish, and then wrap the aluminum f oil over everything. Make sure it 's completely sealedin the f oil.

10. Place the wrapped f ish in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees C f or 45-50 minutes.

11. While the f ish is baking, take the tahong and halaan that's still in the shell that you set aside earlier, andremove half of the shells that do not include the meat.

12. In a pan, place a small amount of olive oil in a heated pan, add the butter and allow the butter to melt.Add the garlic and stir f or a f ew minutes. Throw in the shrimp and stir until it is almost cooked. Throw in thetahong and halaan, sugar, salt, ground black pepper and chopped basil. Stir on high heat f or a f ew minutes.Turn of the heat and pour in the sesame oil. Stir it well. Set aside to cool.

13. Once the f ish is done, caref ully remove f rom the oven and transf er the f ish, along with the banana leafinto a serving tray. Decorate the the f ish with your tahong, shrimp and halaan, along with the lemon. Youcan f urther garnish it with some kinchay leaves and pepper.

*You can squeeze the sliced lemon into the f ish while eating. It gives the f ish a much f resher f lavor.