Sarangani Bay Partners with Pepper's Iberica to Bring Delicious Milkfish Dishes to Davaoenos

Davao has an abundance of fruits and food of all kinds. When it comes to fish, it also has rich resources and that includes the local milkfish or bangus in Tagalog and in the local dialect. The Ilonggos call it bangrus.

I've always loved eating this national fish since I was small despite the fact that it has perhaps the most number of bones. I just love its taste which is creamy (it's a milkfish, after all) and different from the rest of the fish species.

About Sarangani Bay Prime Products

Here in Davao, Sarangani Bay is a leading supplier of frozen milkfish products available in most grocery stores and supermarkets. It also has the largest and only commercial bangus fry hatchery in the Philippines spanning 50 hectares situated in Lun Masla, Malapatan, Sarangani province. Among Sarangani Bay's prime products include the split regular-sized and baby bangus (unseasoned and marinated), milkfish belly, sliced bangus, smoked milkfish, whole regular and the whole baby, sinigang cut and fillet tocino style.

It also has a cooked and frozen line such as the milkfish regular and baby size smoked, stuffed relleno style and embutido. The cooked and bottled milkfish is another line featuring the regular and spicy variants.

The invited local media people were able to sample these products last week at Pepper's Iberica where Sarangani Bay hosted a lunch for us. The different kinds of food served were mouthwatering, kudos to the couple Allen and Chiqui Aportadera who owns the restaurant and who also cooks the dishes themselves. We were able to savor the fried milkfish belly, steamed pompano, sinigang na bangus, seafood paella, pasta with milkfish in oil (new dish), gambas and the appetizer made up of guava, mango and pomelo.

During the presentation, Sarangani Bay Export and Marketing head Jose Marie Cabrera revealed that they have 700 women tasked to debone the milkfish. Not many people know that each milkfish has an estimated 300 bones and it takes five minutes to get the bones. Thanks to these hardworking women, consumers are able to enjoy eating milkfish without a hassle.

Mr. Cabrera introducing Sarangani Bay products to local media. 

In addition, the company which is part of the Alsons Aquaculture Corporation exports 60 percent of their products. Its products are now available in countries with a significant OFW population. Eventually, it hopes to reach the mainstream market.

About Pepper's Iberica Restaurant

The food sampling event also celebrated the first anniversary of Pepper's Iberica located along Mabini Street. A must-try is their bestseller called "Iberian Chicken" which is whole chicken cooked slowly for two hours the reason for its very soft meat. Other recommended dishes on their menu are the bagnet, rellenong bangus and babyback ribs.

Chiqui Aportadera shared that the recipe for their Iberian Chicken was handed down to her by her grandmother. She added that her Kapampangan blood is what prompted her to be a good cook that eventually led them to open their restaurant.

Once again, thank you to Sarangani Bay most especially its PR woman Jojie Alcantara and Pepper's Iberica for the invitation. It was one unforgettable food sampling event because apart from the delicious food served, I also won in the raffle (yey!!). I got a bag of Malagos Chocolate in addition to the two bottled milkfish in oil we all received as an early Christmas giveaway from Sarangani Bay.

Local media with Pepper's Iberica owners Allen & Chiqui Aportadera (Photo by Jojie Alcantara). 

Davao Bloggers Society members with Mr. Cabrera & Jojie Alcantara.