Oven-Baked Catfish with Tomatoes and Celery

This oven-baked catfish is so easy to make, it will literally take you no more than 10 minutes to prepare and an hour for it to bake.

This is good when you don't have time to cook, don't have the energy to think of what to cook, and to eat on cold days (like what we've been having in Daly City lately).

You will need:

2 medium-sized catfish (freshly caught is better)
2 celery sticks, sliced 1/2 inches thick
2 tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste



To make, pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Then:

1. Clean catfish well and lay flat in any oven-proof dish. Make sure the dish is deep enough to allow for the fish and the broth to fit in.

2. In the fish cavities, insert 2-3 celery sticks. By doing this, you ensure flavorful fish inside.

3.  Next, lay the tomatoes on the fish. Then, season the fish with salt and pepper.

4. Pour enough water to cover the fish almost entirely. You don't want the fish buried in the water. Allow for some fish to be "steamed" so the entire fish won't be "swimming" in the water. Pardon the pun. Depending on your dish, you may or may not use all of the water asked for above. You may also need more. Just make sure the fish is covered and a bit of the fish above the water.

5. Bake covered in aluminum foil for approximately 1 hour. You don't need to keep checking on it. The fish will bake and steam in the broth while the tomatoes and celery giving it flavor.

6. Take caution in opening the dish for steam will escape that is quite hot. Serve hot.

Grilled Pork Liempo

Pork "liempo" or pork belly is tricky. It has to be cooked just right and tender enough for it to be considered "delicious" and appreciated. This pork liempo recipe, I marinated the pork in 7-Up soda for 8 hours to ensure tenderness. You can also use this recipe for thin-sliced pork chops.


Here's how I cooked this liempo:

Needed:
2 1/2 lbs pork liempo or pork belly
1 can (regular-sized) can 7-Up soda
1 clove pounded garlic
dash salt and pepper





How to make:
1. As with any meat, rinse the pork and let dry.
2. Lay in a plastic container with a lid. You will marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
3. Add the soda, garlic, salt and pepper. The soda's sweetness will also add flavor, so don't use the "diet" version.

 

4. Let sit in the container in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. This will ensure that all the seasonings have made it into the meat.

5. Best grilled.

6. Depending on the slices of pork, it can take at least 5 to 7 minutes for the pork to cook through on each side. Continue to turn so all sides are fully-cooked. To make sure it is cooked, slice and make sure the inside is no longer pink. For safety reasons, do not serve pink pork.

7. Best served if sliced in bite-size pieces.

8. Optional: serve with dipping sauce of 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/8 cup water, 1 T crushed garlic, salt, and pepper.

When I went to the market last week to purchase the pork, I noticed there were thinner slices of pork belly. I did not buy those. Instead, I went with these, about 1/4 inches thick. In hindsight, I should have gotten the thinner slices, especially since I was grilling them.

These turned out tender enough and not dry at all. I also ensure that the pork was well-cooked. 

Shiaoxing Sauce for Crispy Fried Fish

Over the weekend, I craved for fish. It was going to be some deep fried fish, but I wasn't sure until almost dinner time, that I'd end up making my own version of the soy sauce dipping sauce that most Chinese restaurants use for deep fried fish. It turned out well, so I'm sharing it here for you all to try:

First, make sure to make your fish crispy. Whole fish is best and one way to make this crispy is to ensure that your oil to fry the fish in is piping hot. It's best to coat the fish with cornstarch for extra crispiness.

Then make the sauce.

In a small bowl, mix until well combined:
3 T soy sauce
4 T water
1 T Shiaoxing wine (Chinese rice cooking wine)
dash pepper
1/4 T sesame oil
1 1/2 T sugar

Heat up 1 T cooking oil in a small saucepan. Pour soy sauce mixture and cook only until mixture boils. Transfer to another bowl to use. Pour sparingly over the fried fish and garnish with chopped spring onions.

Enjoy while crispy and hot.

Another version of this sauce can be used for boiled shrimp. I would have to experiment on that because I would like to add jalapeno peppers and ginger. Recipe to follow once perfected!