buteteng laot

buteteng laot - (bu-te-teng la-ot; Tagalog sea fish /seafood) 1. [n.] porcupine fish \spot-fin porcupinefish (sc.name: Diodon hystrix). 

also spelled as boteteng laot in Tagalog 
a.k.a. buktit in Tagalog 
butete tunokon, tagutong,  or  tagutungan in Cebuano 
tagutungan in Boholano and Leyteño [western Leyte] 
otit in Waray-waray (eastern Samar) 
mosi in Bicolano 
tagutongan in Davaoeño 
busisi in Ilokano 
butbutan in Zambaleño 
lukoh itingan or tagutugan in Chavacano (Zamboanga) 
dautdotan in Maranao, Tausug, and Samal 
buntal in Sinama (Bahasa Bajau of Sulu archipelago)

A species of puffer fish considered edible and safe for consumption but has to avoid the internal organs, particularly the liver where a tiny sac of highly deadly poison is can be found. As much as possible, only the meat is used in cooking. 

Maypay is a local name for that tiny sac of highly poisonous glands. It's attached to the liver and would require an expert to safely remove it because even a slightest leak could be very fatal. It's far more lethal than cyanide.

The big size liver though is the most sought part of the fish in making the Cebuano linarang with coconut milk. It needs to be an expert to safely remove the tiny monggo-size sac of poison called maypay in Cebuano. It has to be taken out intact because a slightest leakage can be fatal when it contacts the flesh or contaminates the water used in washing the fish.

A slight contact on flesh or contamination of the water used in washing the fish could be fatal. Yes, because maypay is far more lethal than cyanide. It could no longer be removed or rinsed off. SO BE EXTRA CAREFUL WHEN YOU PREPARE TO COOK THIS FISH.

In my hometown's small fishing village, maypay was used to poison cats that stole food in the kitchen (I felt sorry for the naughty kitty). 

Porcupine fish can be prepared as tinola (boiled), nilarang tinunoan (boiled with coconut milk and spices), inadobo (adobo-style), pinirito (fried), ginataan (cooked in coconut milk with malunggay or dahon ng sili, and sauteeing first in garlic and other spices the flaked parboiled fish), nilubihan (cooked with grated meat of not-so-matured green coconut fruit), or into Bicolano kinunot (braised flaked fish). 

The fish has to be gutted completely and carefully so as not to burst open any of its internal organs to avoid from possibly getting poisoned, and the sturdy spikes around the skin has to be removed by parboiling first the whole fish and then pulling out the spikes using a pliers. 

Vegetables commonly used as suitable optional ingredients when cooking this fish into a soupy ginataan or tinola dish are malunggay or dahon ng sili, talong, okra, kalabasa, sitaw, alugbati, pichay, and/or pako.

The big-sized liver though is the most sought part of the fish when cooking a linarang dish with coconut milk (linarang is boiled fish with different spices and salt to taste). You can have this linarang  in some eateries in Cebu City and other towns in Visayas.