Thankfully it’s just fish that exploded

THE WEEKEND before last was quite busy.  It involved visiting a patch of earth, taking measurements, looking at designs, and signing some papers.  It wasn’t as easy as it sounds.  By the time signatures needed to be affixed for the n^th time, I had practically tuned out, absent-mindedly measuring and realizing that the car in front of me was about 15 to 16 feet from the hood to the trunk.  Yeah, I measured with an actual steel measuring tape.

Naturally I was famished.  So off we went to one of our regular haunts – Max’s!

Ampalaya Con Carne

 

Kare-Kare

 

Half of a family-sized Fried Chicken

We asked for the usuals – Ampalaya Con Carne (bitter gourd with beef in a fermented soybean sauce), Kare-Kare (oxtail stew in a peanut sauce with fresh vegetables), and their house Fried Chicken.  But for the first time, I asked for their Pinaputok na Tiyan ng Bangus.  “Pinaputok” loosely translated, could mean popped or exploded (fish).  But actually, all it means is grilled.

Pinaputok na Tiyan ng Bangus (simply, grilled milkfish!)

Max’s version is one whole fatty belly of a milkfish.  It was so huge anyone would be so inclined to suspect that there was something in the water the fish grew in.  The dish had a deboned premium milkfish belly stuffed with chopped fresh tomatoes, onions, and garlic, wrapped inside a banana leaf then grilled.  A spicy fresh tomato salsa topped everything for a perfect piquant finishing touch.  I liked it!

A spicy fresh tomato salsa tops the grilled milkfish

 

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