This recipe is for Lapu-Lapu Badjao, a Filipino Christmas specialty. It involves stuffing a large fish with a mixture of chopped shellfish like mussels and snails, shrimp, vegetables and seasonings. The stuffed fish is wrapped in banana leaves and foil and baked. Meanwhile, additional shellfish and shrimp are sautéed with butter, garlic, basil and sesame oil. When the fish is done, it is served decorated with the sautéed shellfish and garnishes like lemon. The recipe serves as a colorful and flavorful Filipino Christmas dish to feed loved ones.

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Lapu-Lapu Badjao Recipe
Go o gle+
Lapu-Lapu Badjao
by T he Flavour of Manila
Christmas is just around the corner. And what a better way to celebrate it with this colorf ul and f lavorf ul
dish. Your love ones will surely be amazed and tummy f ull. Lapu-Lapu Badjao was the specialty of Badjao
Inn back in 1970's.
1 large Lapu-Lapu
1 kilo tahong
1 kilo halaan
½ kilo shrimp
2 tbsp kinchay

2. ½ tsp ground black pepper
1½ tsp salt
8 leaves f resh basil
6 cloves garlic
2 red bird's eye chili
1 medium sized onion
1 green pepper (siling haba)
½ inch ginger
Banana leaf
olive oil
Aluminum f oil
For garnishing:
10 cloves chopped garlic
8 leaves f resh basil, chopped
1 lemon (sliced into circles)
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
olive oil
1. Steam the tahong and halaan until they open. Take half the
halaan, remove the meat and place in a container. Take half the
tahong, remove the meat and place in the same container. Take
around 3/4 of the shrimp, Remove the shells, de-vein, and then
place in the same container. Allow the halaan and tahong to cool down a bit. Put them all on a chopping
board and chop all f inely. Place back in the container.
2. You have some remaining unshelled shrimp and half of both the halaan and tahong still in the shells. Just
set them aside f or now.
3. Take the green pepper (siling haba), remove the seeds and chop f inely. Chop around 8 big leaves of
f resh basil. Chop the same amount of kinchay. Grate the ginger f inely with a cheese grater. Chop two red
bird's eye chili. Put them all in the same container with the halaan, tahong and shrimp. Mix well.
4. Sautee the garlic and onion in olive oil in a pan f or a f ew minutes on medium-low heat until the onion
becomes sof t and the garlic becomes slightly brown. T he reason why this can't be on high heat is because
it will brown the garlic quickly and make it bitter.
5. Turn the heat to medium high and then throw in the shrimp, tahong, halaan and vegetable mixture you
made into the pan. Add the ground black pepper and salt and stir f or several minutes until the shrimp is
cooked. T his is now your stuf f ing f or the f ish. Allow to cool f or several minutes.
6. In the meantime, prepare your Lapu-Lapu. Cut the stomach side of the f ish so you can open it up like a
book. Caref ully remove the backbone. You can have them do this in the market. Salt the outside of the f ish
on both sides.

3. 7. Place a large piece of aluminum f oil on a f lat surf ace. Take your banana leaf and pass it caref ully and
quickly over the f ire on your stove to make the leaf more pliable. Place the banana leaf on the aluminum f oil.
Place the f ish on the banana leaf .
8. Open the f ish and stuf f the cavity with your stuf f ing. You don't have to jam all the stuf f ing in. If it's
already f ull, you can set aside extra stuf f ing in the ref f or the meantime (you can make tortang talong out
of that if you like at a later time).
9. Caref ully close the f ish back up again, and if it doesn't close all the way, that's OK. Wrap the banana leaf
completely over the f ish, and then wrap the aluminum f oil over everything. Make sure it's completely sealed
in the f oil.
10. Place the wrapped f ish in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees C f or 45-50 minutes.
11. While the f ish is baking, take the tahong and halaan that's still in the shell that you set aside earlier, and
remove half of the shells that do not include the meat.
12. In a pan, place a small amount of olive oil in a heated pan, add the butter and allow the butter to melt.
Add the garlic and stir f or a f ew minutes. T hrow in the shrimp and stir until it is almost cooked. T hrow in the
tahong and halaan, sugar, salt, ground black pepper and chopped basil. Stir on high heat f or a f ew minutes.
Turn of the heat and pour in the sesame oil. Stir it well. Set aside to cool.
13. Once the f ish is done, caref ully remove f rom the oven and transf er the f ish, along with the banana leaf
into a serving tray. Decorate the the f ish with your tahong, shrimp and halaan, along with the lemon. You
can f urther garnish it with some kinchay leaves and pepper.
*You can squeeze the sliced lemon into the f ish while eating. It gives the f ish a much f resher f lavor.