I heard that milkfish are incredibly popular to eat in the Philippines. So I decided to experiment with a Filipino recipe called rellenong bangus, or stuffed milkfish.
I learned quickly that the milkfish in the Philippines are farmed and only raised to about 2 or 3 pounds. So this large wild 10-pound milkfish or awa, that I speared required a lot more elbow grease when it came to removing the skin from the flesh in one piece.
I also learned that holes in the skin caused by spearing make for some challenges when stuffing the casing. But mainly I learned that this was one heck of a fun trial run of trying something new and though it might look like an entry for f*cked up old taxidermy, it ended up being quite the crowd pleaser!