In one embodiment, the metal matrix composite composition to be mixed with the molten metal to make (10), wherein the composition, not wet the molten aluminum, and / or not chemically stable in molten aluminum in a ceramic reinforcement a filler (12), characterized by the ceramic reinforcing filler (12) being coated with a chemically stable ceramic materials with wet and molten aluminum in the molten aluminum. In a related embodiment, a composition for making a porous preform infiltrated by a molten metal to make the metal matrix composite in (20), wherein the composition is a ceramic reinforcing filler which is not wetted by molten aluminum, ceramic wet with molten aluminum a material (22), and is characterized by the ceramic reinforcing filler (23) which is optionally coated with a metal such as nickel. The ceramic material can be coated on the ceramic reinforcing filler by a vacuum deposition technique such as vacuum sputtering.