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Fish Recipes

Sinuglaw

Sinuglaw is a dish composed of grilled pork belly and fish ceviche. This can be considered as a main dish or an appetizer. The name “sinuglaw” was derived from two famous cooking methods in the Visayas and Mindanao areas: sugba, meaning to grill; and kinilaw, which means to cook by soaking in vinegar or citric acid.

Who knew that the marriage of “Inihaw na liempo” and “Kinilaw na Tuna” would produce such a fine offspring? This dish, though simple easy to make, is something to die for.

Which restaurants in Manila do you think serve the best Sinuglaw? How about in Cebu and Mindanao?

Try this Sinuglaw recipe and let me know what you think.

Pesang Isda Recipe

Pesang Isda or Fish in Ginger Stew is one of the dishes that make me consume more steamed rice than the usual. This delightful dish involves cooking medium to large sized fish in a broth that are mainly composed of rice washing and ginger; vegetables such as bok choy or pechay are also included for added flavor and nutrition. It has been a common practice to use “dalag” (mudfish) for this recipe, but feel free to use any medium to large size fish that you desire.

When skimming the recipe, you’ll notice that I first fried the fish before cooking it with the rest of the ingredients. This is not the traditional method in making Pesang Isda but rather a technique that I learned from my mom. This method makes the fish taste better and provides a more stable texture that prevents flaking when cooked in water for a long time. Rice washing, on the other hand, makes the soup richer and thicker. I usually add this to ginger stews such as this and Tinolang Manok.

Creamy Tuyo Pesto

Have you ever tasted Tuyo Pasta or at least heard about it? It is a good example of a classy dish that makes use of the humble and well-liked food among the masses – the tuyo.

Tuyo is a term used to call small salted dried fish. This is considered as a poor man’s food because of its affordability. Two of the most common methods of cooking this fish are frying or grilling directly in charcoal.

Who says that tuyo is just a simple food that you can only eat with rice or champorado? Throughout the years, several dishes involving this beloved fish came into being. Among those dishes, my personal favorite is the Tuyo Pasta.

I did several experiments to hype the Tuyo Pasta; this Creamy Tuyo Pesto recipe is the best – by far. This dish has the flavor and texture of what a good pasta dish should have. Besides being a good pasta dish, I like Creamy Tuyo Pesto because it makes use tuyo: one of my all time favorite food.

Try this Creamy Tuyo Pesto Recipe and let me know what you think.

Sardines with Misua Recipe

One quick and easy soup recipe is Sardines with Misua. This recipe converts canned Sardines (or Mackerel) in tomato sauce into a simple but flavorful soup dish.

Misua are thin flour noodles that are usually added to soups. Almondigas (or Misua with patola soup) is a good example of a soup dish that uses Misua.

In this recipe, you can use any brand of sardines as long as it is in a tomato based sauce. One small cylindrical can of sardines should be enough for the entire process. If you like to add vegetables to this recipe, please feel free to do so. Upo (bottle gourd), chayote, and patola (loofa) are some of the vegetables that I can suggest.

If you have other suggestions, ideas, or tip that you want to share, please type them in the comment box at the bottom of this post.

Try this Sardines with Misua Recipe and let us know what you think.

Kinilaw na Dulong

Kinilaw na dulong is a fish dish that makes use of silverfish which are locally known as “Dulong”. This is a type of Ceviche wherein fishes or seafood are soaked in a citrus marinade. Citric acid, a weak acid found in citrus fruits, slowly cooks the fish until it is ready for consumption. Other variation of this dish makes use of vinegar. The acetic acid in vinegar cooks the fish the way citric acid does. I used vinegar in our Kinilaw na Tuna recipe.

Kinilaw or kilawin dishes are mostly served as appetizers or “pulutan”. The key in this recipe is simple: use the freshest ingredients available. Have you tried any fish kinilaw or seafood kinilaw dishes? The fish tastes sweeter when fresh ingredients are used. It also eliminates the possibility of experiencing an itchy feeling while eating the fish.

Try this Kinilaw na Dulong recipe and let me know what you think.

Sinigang na Panga ng Tuna Recipe (Tuna jaw cooked in sour broth)

Sinigang na Panga ng Tuna is another variation the famous soup dish of the Philippines, Sinigang. Almost any meat or seafood can be used in making sinigang while the sour component is not limited to tamarind alone (tamarind is the main component of the commercialized sinigang mix pouches): guava, bilimbi (kamias), and green mangoes are just a few of the sour fruits that can be used to make this dish.

The seafood used in cooking seafood sinigang usually depends on the most abundant catch of the region. In places wherein tuna (or bariles) is abundant, “sinigang na panga ng tuna” and “sinigang na tuna belly” is more likely to be in the menu.

What are the other seafood sinigang that you’ve tried? What is the most unusual seafood sinigang that you have had so far?

Try this Sinigang na Panga ng Tuna recipe and let us know your thoughts by commenting.

Kinilaw na Tuna

Kinilaw na Tuna or raw fish salad is an appetizer dish that is usually consumed as “pulutan”; it is best served along with cold beer. This recipe does not involve any manual cooking but the tuna meat is semi-cooked once served. This is made possible by the acids in the vinegar (acetic acid) and calamansi or lemon juice (citric acid). These mild acids slowly cook the fish meat when soaked for a few hours.

This recipe is popular in places where fresh seafood is abundant. Why fresh? Only the freshest tuna slices (or any white fish meat) can be used for this recipe for best results. Since the acid does not entirely cook the fish meat the way frying or steaming does, it is possible that an unpleasant taste might develop in the mixture if not so fresh fish meat is used – your mouth and tongue might also feel itchy.

I love to have this appetizer especially when cold beer is around. Just like the Ceviche (a similar dish wherein the fish meat is marinated only in citric acid), there is nothing like a semi-cooked sour fish appetizer to refresh my palate.

Of course, there are several variations of kinilaw around. Some of you might have your own version, how about sharing it with us?

Try this Kinilaw na Tuna recipe and don’t be shy to send-in your feedback.

Sarciadong Isda Recipe

Sarciadong Isda is literally translated as “Fish with sauce”. Fried fish is simmered in a sauce that is usually composed of tomatoes and onions; some seasonings are also added to enhance the flavor.

In my opinion, this simple and healthy recipe also works well with leftover fried fish. You can still transform your leftover fried fish that you had last night for dinner into a very tasty and hearty lunch meal.

I used tilapia for this demonstration because it’s the only fresh fish available in the nearest market. I don’t hate tilapia (in fact I use it in most of our fish recipes) but I still feel that using saltwater fish for this particular recipe is better. I guess that this is one of the disadvantages when you live in the Midwest where the ocean is hundreds of miles away. This is just my view; there are no specific types of fish required for this recipe so feel free to use whatever suits you best.

Try this Sarciadong Isda recipe

Easy Steamed Fish Recipe

Steamed Lapu-Lapu is Steamed fish (particularly Grouper fish) stuffed with lemon and ginger with sweet lemon-ginger sauce.

Though simple, this recipe is beneficial to your health. Fish is a low calorie food that is also low in fat. Recent studies also concluded that eating fish regularly can cut the risk of death from heart disease by a third. There were even studies claiming that eating fish can lessen the risk of Prostate Cancer, Depression, and Inflamation (Omega 3 fatty acids are regarded on this).

Try this Steamed Lapu-Lapu recipe.