Pesang Dalag (Stewed Mudfish)

Pesang Dalag or stewed mudfish is a regional Filipino dish. Mudfish are not usually sold in supermarkets or wet markets. And it is not as easy to clean and cut them if you will buy it alive unlike most salt water fishes that are sold. But most vendor will do the tedious task for you on pounding the fish and removing the gills, scales and innards. There is also a final step before cooking it, you have to scrape the fish to remove the thick saliva-like secretion from the mudfish to remove the fishy odor and taste. This pesang dalag recipe includes miso dipping sauce.

To cook pesang dalag; Boil rice water. Add ginger, peppercorn, onion and season with salt and vetsin. After 3 minutes, add fish and cover. Cook for another 3 minutes because fish cooks faster than meat so less time is needed. Then add the cabbage and petsay. Continue cooking until vegetables are half cooked. Then serve with miso sauce. 

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5 from 2 votes

How to Cook Pesang Dalag (Stewed Mudfish)

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time12 mins

Total Time22 mins

Course: Fish Recipes

Cuisine: Filipino

Servings: 3 servings

Author: Manny

Ingredients

• 1 large mudfish dalag, sliced
• 1/4 kilo cabbage cut into big pieces
• 1/4 kilo petsay cut into halves
• 1 tbsp. whole peppercorns
• 1 tbsp. ginger strips
• 4 cups rice water water from rice washing
• 1 tbsp monosodium glutamate vetsin
• 1 medium sized native onion quartered ( red onion )
• salt to taste

Ingredients for miso sauce:

• 1/2 cup soybean paste miso
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 3 to matoes finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 tbsp. fish sauce or patis
• 1/2 cup water cooking oil for sauteing

Instructions

How to cook Pesang Dalag

• Boil rice water. Add ginger, peppercorn, onion and season with salt and vetsin.
• After 3 minutes, add fish and cover.
• Cook for another 3 minutes because fish cooks faster than meat so less time is needed.
• Then add the cabbage and petsay. Continue cooking until vegetables are half cooked.
• Then serve with miso sauce.

How to make miso sauce:

• Saute garlic in oil until brown. Add onion and tomatoes.
• Saute for 3 minutes, then add miso. Season with patis and vetsin.
• After another 3 minutes, add water. Cook until sauce thickens.