5 Ways of Cooking Cream Dory Fillet this Lenten Season

During the Lenten season, most Filipinos try to abstain from eating meat. No matter how good and succulent a meat can be, most people choose to eat veggies or seafood, specifically fish, as an alternative. The long-time tradition of not eating meat during lent traces back in 1966, where individuals as young as fourteen years old need to abstain from meat on Fridays of Lent. On earlier times during lent, most people were fasting as an act of sacrifice and abstaining from meat was practiced because meat was considered as an indulgence ages ago and letting go of the indulgence symbolizes self-discipline.

While most Filipinos still follow the tradition, there's also a growing number of people who do not, nevertheless, having to enjoy a good fish dish during the long break is a good idea for a change since we are consuming meat most of the time.

One versatile fish that we usually encounter on markets or groceries is Cream Dory. It is also known as Pangasius. Cream Dory has a natural savory taste, usually it is sold filleted already. Most restaurants or even household typically uses Cream Dory for fish and chips, however, there are many other ways to cook it and maximize its savory taste. Here are other methods of cooking it other than coating it in batter and just frying it.

1. Steaming

On some Chinese restaurants, it is impossible not to have a steamed fish on the menu. For starters, with only few ingredients such as soy sauce, leeks, ginger and fish fillet you could recreate a simple but tasty Chinese food staple. Before steaming the fish, you could marinate it for a few minutes with cooking wine, salt and pepper, it will expel the fishy taste and odor. If you’re on the mood, you can amplify the texture by dredging it in cornstarch and fry it until golden brown before steaming it with the other ingredients.

2. Stewing

Stews are probably one of the easiest dishes you can cook since you can easily incorporate any vegetables, proteins and other of your preferred ingredients. You can either make it with a western or the Asian twist. If you plan on doing it the western way of cooking stews, it definitely needs to be tomato based. Adding a sausage and chickpea is a good call, as for the vegetables you can add the basics which are carrots, potatoes, and celery. To add more western twist, add herbs like basil and oregano or add capers and olives. For this type of stew, add your Cream Dory fillet on the last minute of cooking to avoid breaking the fish meat into pieces.

If you like spicy food, the best way of stewing it is doing it with an Asian flare. Instead of tomato base, use a fermented red pepper paste with a bit of soybean paste. The usual broth used in Asian stews is called dashi, it is made by boiling dried kelp, anchovies and mushrooms. If you want to save time, there are groceries who sell dashi powder but if in case it’s unavailable just use chicken broth. For the vegetables, you can add leeks, potato, and zucchini or if you have a kimchi, that is a good add-on as well. On the last minute of cooking the fish fillet stew, you can add soft tofu, egg, spring onions and more chili if you can handle more spice.

3. Stir-frying

When using fish fillets on stir-fries, the best way to cook it is by slicing it by strips then dredging it in cornstarch and deep frying it first. You can add your favorite vegetables as an accompaniment to the fish fillet but our top picks are garlic, onion, young corn, mushrooms, carrots and broccoli, if you want it simpler, you can minimize or skip the veggie selection and add fried tofu. Once the ingredients have been sautéed, just add oyster sauce for more flavor. You can also drizzle a bit of sesame oil to enhance the taste even more but only add it on the dish once the heat is turned off, adding it while on the process of cooking will lose its flavor.

4. Baking

Baking your fish fillet is a suggested method for multi-taskers. All you have to do is mix every ingredient on a baking pan and pop it in the oven. It will only take around 15 to 20 minutes for your fish to be cooked and the good thing is most of the popular recipes are surely no-fail. One notable recipe is baked fish in a creamy lemon sauce where you just have to mix in melted butter, garlic, lemon juice and cream and pour it over the fish fillets on the baking pan, you don’t even have to flip it. It’s easy, it saves time and it’s delicious.

5. Grilling

If you are craving for something smoky and charred, grilling your fish might be a good idea. Season your fish with spices and herbs like rosemary, oregano, chili flakes, salt and pepper then drizzle some olive oil or add a tablespoon of butter. Wrap it on an aluminum foil, corn husk or banana leaves so it would not break into pieces or stick in the grill. You don’t have to grill it for a long time, 20 minutes will do but it depends on how charred you want it to be.

If you’re still wondering where to buy your Cream Dory fish fillets, you’re on the right spot. E&L Retail Shop sells well-trimmed fish fillet for your household needs. Choosing the right method of cooking your fish fillet is something to think of but ensuring the quality of your Cream Dory is most certainly important. Buy your fish fillets only with your trusted supplier and since most areas are under enhanced community quarantine now, buy it online and have it delivered. Same goes with your other supplies. Let’s be in line with the safety and preventive measures rolled out while in observance of the Lenten season. Wishing you a safe long weekend folks!