Pinaputok na Tilapia

Pinaputok na tilapia is the ultimate seafood dish! Stuffed with tomatoes and onions and baked to perfection, this Filipino-style fish is easy to make, tasty, and budget-friendly. Delicious with steamed rice!

Looking for foolproof ways to cook fish? This stuffed tilapia is so easy to prep yet delivers tons of flavor. The fish is plump and tasty, with juicy roasted tomatoes and onions for another layer of yum.

It's a meal you'll feel good serving the whole family! Not only is it delicious, but it's also healthy and nutritious.

What is Pinaputok na Tilapia

Pinaputok, which means  "to explode", is a Filipino-style dish wherein a whole tilapia is stuffed generously with a mixture of tomatoes, onions, garlic, and ginger until almost "bursting." The fish is brushed with melted butter, wrapped in foil to secure adequately, and then oven-baked until moist and flavorful.

It's usually served with steamed rice and a choice of sawsawan such as calamansi and soy sauce, spicy vinegar, or ensalada.

Ingredient notes

• Not a fan of tilapia? Milkfish (bangus) or golden pompano will also work well in this recipe!
• I season the fish with tamarind powder (sinigang mix), but you can substitute calamansi, lemon, or lime. Another delicious option is marinating the fish in alcohol, such as gin or rum, with a few dashes of salt and pepper.
• I use tomatoes, onions, garlic, and ginger flavored with tamarind powder as stuffing but feel free to add other herbs and spices, such as cilantro, green onions, and chili peppers, if you want a bit of heat.

Give this fish recipe a try for dinner tonight. You'll be amazed how such a simple dish can be so satisfying and delicious.

Want more easy fish recipes? This Baked Salmon with Tamarind Mayo Topping uses one special trick that makes it super moist and flavorful.

More seafood recipes

Steamed Lapu-Lapu with Mayonnaise

Sinanglay na Tilapia

Sinaing na Tulingan

Pinangat na Pompano

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @kawalingpinoy on Facebook and Instagram!

4.60 from 5 votes

Pinaputok na Tilapia

Filipino-style baked fish is easy to make and so tasty! Generously stuffed with tomatoes and onions, this pinaputok na tilapia is moist, flavorful, and delicious with steamed rice.

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Author: Lalaine Manalo

Course: Main Entree

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4 Servings

Ingredients

• 2 whole tilapia, scaled and gutted
• 3 tablespoons tamarind base powder
• 2 large Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 thumb-size ginger, peeled and minced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• salt and pepper to taste

For the Dipping Sauce

• Calamansi juice to taste
• soy sauce to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 F.
• Rinse tilapia well, rinsing cavity well. Pat dry. Make two or three slits across the body of the fish on both sides.
• Rub both fish all over, including the cavity, with 2 tablespoons of the tamarind base powder. Let stand for about 10 minutes.
• In a bowl, combine tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic, the remaining 1 tablespoon of tamarind powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to distribute.
• Stuff each fish's cavity with tomato-onion mixture.
• Liberally brush the outside of both fish with butter and Individually wrap in aluminum foil, Double wrap to prevent juices from leaking.
• Place fish packets on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes or until fish is cooked through.
• Serve hot with dipping sauce.

Dipping sauce

• Combine calamansi juice and soy sauce to taste.

Notes

For added aroma, wrap the tilapia in banana leaves instead of aluminum foil.

Video

“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”