Silver Fish (Dulong) Patties

We went to Chicago to get my visa about two months ago. When we get the chance to visit Chicago I try to drop by the Filipino store there so I can get some Filipino ingredients which I would otherwise not find in Michigan. Fortunately, we had a little time to spare so my husband kindly brought me to the store so  I was able to get a little shopping done.
Normally, I would just get some dry goods and some meat and vegetable viand but when I saw that they had Dulong on sale I absolutely had to get some. Dulong is translated Silver Fish in English probably due to its color. It’s a very tiny fish, barely an inch and quite transparent in appearance. It’s a staple in the Philippines because it’s super delicious especially when cooked while still fresh. So tasty.

Dulong can be cooked in a number of ways. You can wrap it in Banana Leaf and steam it, dry it under the sun and then fry until crisp but certainly the most popular way to cook it would be the omelette or something similar to a fish cake. When fried it is just crunchy and delicious! 

Since I have never tried cooking Dulong before I searched for a good recipe on the web which led me to this Silver Fish Cake recipe from Panlasang Pinoy. It was flavorful. I am heavily indebted to Panlasang Pinoy for this recipe. The modifications I made, if any, are very slight. It’s still pretty much like the original. If you wish to check out the original recipe, you can find it here.

If by any chance you cannot find Dulong in your area or don’t fancy it, then you can use another fish as substitute. Even canned tuna or salmon am sure would work. I like to serve this with a Mayo-Ketchup Sauce on the side, something similar to a yum-yum sauce.



Ingredients

1 lb dulong (Silver Fish), cleaned and drained

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs, divided)

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 1/2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 Tablespoon Yellow mustard

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste 

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 Tablespoons Vegetable oil* (increase if you choose to deep-fry the patties instead)

*If you want crunchier patties throughout, I suggest you deep-fry it so increase the oil accordingly should you desire to do so.
 

Procedure

 
In a bowl, combine the fish, half of the bread crumbs, egg, salt, pepper, mustard, garlic, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Mix well.

Shape the fish mixture into patties. Coat the patties by dredging them in the remaining 1/2 cup breadcrumbs. Set Aside.

Heat the oil. Using medium heat, fry the patties for about 5 to 6 minutes per side or until nicely browned and crusty. Make sure that the pan is not too hot or you’ll end up burning the patties which happened to me the first time I made it. The heat should just be the right temp – medium.
Because of this experience, I have decided that next time, I will just deep-fry them. If you choose to do so, just heat enough oil to cover the patties. Fry until golden brown. I can imagine how crisp and yummy each patty would be! 🙂

Serve with a mayo-ketchup sauce. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Panlasang Pinoy.

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Last updated on October 1st, 2019 at 12:59 pm