This Spanish Style Bangus (Milkfish) recipe made using the Instant Pot will give you perfectly seasoned, super tender fish meat and bones with a punch of heat! It is made with olives, pickles, and carrots cooked in healthy olive oil for a quick dinner or lunch dish that you can enjoy anytime you please!
Easy Homemade Spanish-style Bangus
Once you have seen how easy it is to make your own Bangus cooked Spanish-style, you will never go back to buying those "gourmet" ones off the shelves. And using your Instant Pot makes it so effortless! The most you'll be doing is preparing the veggies and brining the fish meat, hardly back-breaking! And the rest of the work will be done by our good 'ol reliable kitchen buddy!
Why Make it?
Aside from the ease of making it, here are more reasons to try this recipe yourself!
- It is absolutely less expensive to make than to buy them! This recipe includes the whole fish, which makes 2 medium-sized jars already. And most of the ingredients are pantry staples so you wouldn't have to buy them all. The cost of making one jar is just a fraction of what you will be paying for sure!
- Making it from scratch gives you control over how spicy you want it to be too. You can also make the necessary adjustment on the herbs and spices used to suit your taste.
- If you love eating bangus but hate the oil splatters and the fishbones, then this recipe is perfect for you. No frying required, because all you need is to place everything in your Instant Pot and seal it. Once it is cooked, you will have perfectly delicious bangus with fishbones so soft you can munch on them!
Spanish-style Bangus Ingredients
- Bangus- select a large-sized one and have it cleaned, gutted, cut into serving pieces but make sure to leave scales intact. You should have 6 to 7 slanted pieces once they are cut.
- Carrots- slices and cut into florets. If you do not have a vegetable shaper, that is ok. You can just slice them using a knife.
- Bay Leaves- gives the dish an appetizing aroma and an herbal flavor.
- Garlic- use a whole head, pounded or crushed. This will give the bangus a savory kick!
- Gherkins pickles- adds a mild sweetness and tanginess to the dish.
- Thai Chili peppers- I used 3 whole peppers on mine to achieve a mild spicy taste.
- Green olives- adds a briny flavor.
- Peppercorns and Salt- for seasoning.
- Spanish paprika- this is optional but it add more spice and color to the dish.
- Olive oil- use good quality for best results. If you do not have this, corn oil will do.
- For brining- I used ½ cup rock salt dissolved in 4 cups water.
Some Helpful Tips for You!
- Do not slice your carrots and pickles too thinly or they will practically dissolve after pressure cooking.
- I did not slice the Thai Red Chilis to keep the dish from being too spicy. However, if you are fond of spicy food, go ahead and cut them open or add more! It is up to you.
- Add enough water to cover the fish and veggies before pressure cooking them to ensure they do not get burnt.
- As usual, be careful when doing a quick pressure release as the steam will be very hot and might burn you. I always wear gloves when doing this.
- Make sure to use sterile jars for longer storage time. A simple way to do it is by placing them (including the lids) in hot water for a few minutes and allowing them to air dry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, all the ingredients used for this recipe are naturally gluten-free.
Absolutely not! You can eat them right away after cooking and store the rest for later.
Yes, you can. Take note though that the cooking time may differ depending on the size of fish you are using.
How to Serve and Store
This dish is perfectly served with steaming hot rice any time of the day! You can also enjoy them with slices of bread if you want something less heavy.
If you are making this ahead, store them in sterilized jars and seal them tightly. Place them in a cool, dry area or in the fridge for longer storage time.
Instant Pot Spanish-style Bangus
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 large bangus cleaned, gutted, cut into serving pieces but leave scaled intact (6-7pcs, slanted cut)
- 1 large carrot cut into florets
- 10-15 pieces bay leaves
- 1 head garlic pounded/crushed
- ¼ cup Gherkins pickles sliced
- 3 pieces Thai Chili peppers
- ¼ cup Green olives pitted
- ½ tablespoon peppercorns
- ½ tablespoon rock salt
- 1 teaspoon Spanish paprika optional
- 1 cup olive oil or corn oil
- Water
Brining solution:
- 4 cups water
- 2 tablespoons rock salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, make the brining solution. Combine 4 cups of water and 2 tbsps rock salt. Stir until dissolved. Add bangus slices and soak for 30 minutes. Drain well.
- In the Instant Pot, arrange bay leaves, carrot, and garlic to cover the bottom of the pot.
- Add bangus slices in a single layer. Add pickles, olives, chili peppers, peppercorns, salt and paprika (if using any).
- Pour the olive oil over the fish and add enough water to cover the fish.
- Close and lock the lid. Set the valve to sealing position.
- Cook in high pressure for 60-70 mins. Once timer is done and the floating valve drops, you may place the valve in the venting position.
- Serve and enjoy or transfer in an airtight container or sterilized jar.
Video
About the Author
Glenda, a foodie by heart, left the corporate world to become full-time content and video creator for food bloggers and is now a food blogger herself.
Made it!! It was so delicious! Bones were soft and edible! Though husband complained about the 2 cups of olive oil I used- he still ate them all. I just substituted some stuff with I have in the fridge-- used Kalamata olives and whole dill pickles instead
Thank you so much! so glad you and your hubby liked it.
is there any alternative for salt if someone is on a sodium restricted diet?
Hi Philip, you can check for salt alternatives. 🙂 Also, check with your doctor if you can use the salt alternative as you are on a restricted diet.
Will there be a difference in cooking time if I use boneless bangus? Thanks
Hi Renea. Yes, there would be a difference. We pressure cook it for about an hour for the bones to be soft and edible. For boneless bangus, you can set it for about 10-15 mins. Good luck!
can i use salmon instead of bangus?
Hello Elisa, that actually sounds delish! Although we haven't tried using salmon for this recipe, it may also be used.
How much can I sell a 350mg bottled Spanish style bangus?
Unfortunately, we didn't do the costing for this recipe. But you can do your own costing for all the ingredients that you have used, divide it into how many jars/bottles you make, and mark it up a bit. Hope this helps. 🙂
Thank you I made my first batch of Spanish sardines and everyone liked it and hopefully it was all sold out. Again thank you for this recipe.
Wow! That is so good to hear. Best of luck!
Can i use bangus without the scales?
Yes, you may also remove the scales of the fish, if you prefer.
Thanks for this recipe. ❤
Hi, is it normal that the bone of milkfish is not comparable to usual sardines (bones are softer)? Thanks
Hi Vixen. The bones of the milkfish is thicker compared to the usual sardines. But if you want the bones to be softer, you may add 10 minutes more to the cooking time. 🙂 Hope this helps.