Now you ask, what is pantat? It's is catfish, and is popularly cooked as inasal (barbecue grilled) and adobado (adobo style with coconut milk). I am not really a pantat-eater and can't remember the last time I enjoyed having one (apologies to pantat-natics out there). But my recent trip to Roxas City changed all that and if asked when was the last time I had a good pantat experience, I surely have a ready answer.
I attended the CAPIZtahan 2013 festivities as one of judges in the Seafood Cooking Competition. We were hosted by Ma'am Sonie who gave us a very satisfying 3 day-2 night gastronomic experience in Roxas City. Everything was fresh, home-made and just within reach. One of the discoveries I had there was a pantat cooked unlike the ones I am familiar with. It was Maam Sonie's son, GB, who introduced this on our table when he requested pantat to be cooked the way they liked at home.
It turned out to be a fillet of pantat marinated in kaffir lime then breaded and fried to resulting to a Mojo potato like dish dish on the table. Even though I am no pantat-natic, I still reached out to taste this relatively new way of having pantat and it was love at first bite! It was still hot and crisp that I thought I may not savour it's taste, but I was wrong. The freshness of the fish was enhanced more by the tang of the kaffir lime that complemented the "crisp and fried" coating. It was so good that it didn't last long on the table but good thing, refills kept coming.
We only stopped when it was time to pack our bags and head back to Iloilo City but it could have gone until dinner. Though I think it could be done with other fishes but it was the pantat, that made it more memorable for me as I never ate so much of something I really don't "like" before. And the taste memories still live on.
Now, what was the last thing you ate for the first time? You know what my answer is ...
I attended the CAPIZtahan 2013 festivities as one of judges in the Seafood Cooking Competition. We were hosted by Ma'am Sonie who gave us a very satisfying 3 day-2 night gastronomic experience in Roxas City. Everything was fresh, home-made and just within reach. One of the discoveries I had there was a pantat cooked unlike the ones I am familiar with. It was Maam Sonie's son, GB, who introduced this on our table when he requested pantat to be cooked the way they liked at home.
It turned out to be a fillet of pantat marinated in kaffir lime then breaded and fried to resulting to a Mojo potato like dish dish on the table. Even though I am no pantat-natic, I still reached out to taste this relatively new way of having pantat and it was love at first bite! It was still hot and crisp that I thought I may not savour it's taste, but I was wrong. The freshness of the fish was enhanced more by the tang of the kaffir lime that complemented the "crisp and fried" coating. It was so good that it didn't last long on the table but good thing, refills kept coming.
We only stopped when it was time to pack our bags and head back to Iloilo City but it could have gone until dinner. Though I think it could be done with other fishes but it was the pantat, that made it more memorable for me as I never ate so much of something I really don't "like" before. And the taste memories still live on.
Now, what was the last thing you ate for the first time? You know what my answer is ...