Fish Sinigang

Fish Sinigang is one of the dish you look forward to when you have too much land animal meat or too much vegetable lately. It is a perfect refreshingly balanced dish when you want to eat healthier.

Sinigang is an intuitive way of cooking seafoods, fish included. Like many seafood dishes where there is the recurring aspect of acidity to highlight and even contrast the ocean flavor. Lemon, lime or kalamansi are commonly squeezed fresh to seafoods to bring out more the flavors of the sea and tame these strong flavors at the same time.

”Kailangan may luya at asim para hindi malansa ang lasa!”

There goes the words that outline the Sinigang taste profile and recipe. Without ginger and sour fruit ingredient such as sampalok, manggang hilaw, bayabas, santol, etc. it is not Sinigang! We said ‘sour fruit’ in fresh form or concentrated version reduced to powder form is what makes it Sinigang. Use another souring agent such as vinegar will instead give you the cousin dish—Paksiw (savory and sour minus the broth). Acidity is a default to Sinigang, removed the sour fruit factor and you will have Nilaga – another comforting Filipino dish. But, that's a topic for another article. Here are some of Fish Sinigang dish variations we made or tried:

Upper Left: Sinigang na Bangus; Upper Right: Sinigang na Malaga; Lower Left: Sinigang na Talakitok; Lower Right: Seabass Sinigang

Cooking Fish Sinigang is actually easy and less stressful as there are no menacing hot splats of scalding hot oil! A bit of effort is required when preparing the ingredients but after that it's just waiting the spiced sour broth base to boil and goes the rest of the ingredients.

We use Corvina (Meagre] ) in this Fish Sinigang recipe

Cooking time really depends on cooking the vegetables you add to the dish since it takes no time at all cooking the fish.

Left: Radish is a very nice addition to any Sinigang and siling haba is mandatory; Right: Pechay, red onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic are the most common ingredients

Here is one of the many ways we cook Fish Sinigang in the Ulam Pinoy kitchen:

INGREDIENTS

• Fish

• Sinigang Instant Powder Mix

• Okra

• Radish

• Spinach

• Tomatoes

• Ginger

• Onion

• Garlic

• Long green chilis (siling haba)

• Patis (fermented fish sauce)

• Water or even better hugas bigas

PROCEDURE

1. In a pot, add water, ginger, onion, garlic, green onions, green chilis, tomatoes and patis. Bring to a boil.

2. Add the vegetables: radish and okra. Cover and cook the vegetable half way through.

3. Add the Sinigang Powder Mix, season to taste and put in the fish cuts. Put the pot lid back and simmer for 8 minutes. Add the spinach leaves and finish cooking for another 2 minutes. Ready to serve…

Enjoy Fish Sinigang with rice and make a patis and chilli dip close by!

Try it today or if you have your own family version of Fish Sinigang, please share it to us in Instagram and tag us @ulampinoy so we can feature your version of Sinigang na Isda in Ulam Pinoy 😉

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DID YOU KNOW?

Bluefish(e.g. tuna, anchovy, sardine, mackerel) are an excellent source of selenium, niacin, vitamin B12, and omega-3s, and a good source of magnesium and potassium.

Fish is an essential component of our weekly protein intake. Finally, on the topic of fish smell, this is something acquired similar to liking a perfume, or delighting the smell of cheese or patis that you can't resist yet for the others is something to avoid at all cost.

Have a great week ahead, and take care!