Lapu lapu de la reyna

Lapu Lapu de la Reyna

Article by: Casandra

Bright as the sunlight and colorful as confetti, Filipinos have their way of celebrating festivities with a blast along with their community and their families. These festivals and celebrations signify the holy beliefs of practicing Christians in showing their love and devotion toward their Patron Saints.

Origin

Of course, such celebrations aren't complete without the smell of delight coming from the center of every family's dining table. Hence, Filipinos are known to be great cooks. One of their specialties is the Lapu Lapu de la Reyna which is a steamed grouper, covered in mayonnaise, and topped with finely chopped carrots, pickle relish, red onions, capsicum, and eggs. Lapu Lapu fish, or grouper, is used upon cooking this dish because it is large, meaty, and bursts out with flavors if cooked with the right amount of spices. Any large ocean fish with white meat can also be used, but Lapu Lapu fish owns this recipe. The dish will please everyone just by merely looking at it as it resembles rainbow-like colors that bring life to the celebration of the family.

Lapu Lapu de La Reyna originated in Bulacan during the 80's and became very popular during Christmas. It is served traditionally as a heritage dish in the house of the Bautista Clan here in Malolos, Bulacan. Sadly, this dish started losing popularity during the 90's, and only a few families still cook it as one of their specialties. The expenses and extreme effort in preparing this dish have caused families to try and look for new recipes. Nevertheless, the recipe still lives and will continue if more Filipinos revive their culture by preserving and putting their cooking expertise into practice until the next generations of great cooks.

Ingredients

Fish:

• 1 Whole Grouper (Lapu Lapu Fish)
• 1 Squeeze from Lemon Juice
• Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 3 Stalks Spring Onions, roughly chopped

Garnish:

• 1 Cup Mayonnaise
• 1 Red Bell Capsicum, finely chopped
• 1 Large Carrot, finely chopped
• 4 Hard Boiled Eggs (Yolk and White separated), finely chopped
• 1/3 Sweet Pickle Relish
• 1 Large Red Onion, finely chopped
• 2 1/2 Cups of Water
• 1/2 Cup of Sugar
• 1/2 Cup of Vinegar

Procedure

1. Wash your fish and then let it dry. Season it with salt and freshly ground black pepper. After seasoning, drizzle the fish with lemon juice inside and out, and then let it sit for at least 15 minutes.
2. Stuff the inside of the fish with the lemon skin from the extracted lemon juice along with the chopped spring onions.
3. Place the stuffed fish inside a steamer and steam it for 25 minutes or until it is cooked. Remove the fish from the steamer after cooking. Remove the lemon skin and spring onions inside the fish and let it cool at room temperature or colder.
4. In a saucepan, boil together water, vinegar, and sugar. In a sieve, place your chopped carrots and blanch them for 30 seconds. Remove it from the water and drain until all moisture is gone. Place it onto a plate and let it cool. Do the same procedure with the capsicum.
5. Place your fish on a platter, coat it with mayonnaise, and place your finely chopped vegetables on top. You can arrange the toppings based on the photo, the ROYGBIV colors, or however you like. After placing your toppings, drizzle the egg whites around the fish.
6. Serve.

References

• https://www.angsarap.net/2018/12/19/lapu-lapu-de-la-reyna-steamed-fish-with-mayonnaise/

• https://phildigest.jp/lapu-lapu-de-la-reyna/?fbclid=IwAR2eeTjrD2i7k-IPIsS2fad93V_UpwN-tYg3SVacSydehlqETXDsYYcAO7A

• https://panlasangpinoy.com/steamed-fish-with-mayonnaise/