In the Philippines, Fish is one of the most versatile food. There are different varieties of Filipino Fish cuisines that you can you do with Fish that also depends on the kind of fish you will be using. In this post, let us show you the most popular Filipino fish dishes.
Popular Filipino Fish Dishes
Listed below are some of the Filipino Fish dishes you can try that is not only delicious but most of these dishes are healthy as well.
Adobong Isda
Adobong Isda (Fish Adobo) is one of the most popular Filipino fish recipes in the Philippines. Adobo is prepared using simple ingredients such as white vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaves and garlic, salt, and water. The ingredients are basically used to make a marinade of a dish. With Adobong Isda, the ingredients mentioned above are combined with usually a small-medium sized fish.
Preparing Adobong Isda is pretty easy. All you need to do is to rub the fish with salt. And then add water and soy sauce. On a medium sized pot, allow the mixture to simmer. Bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns and vinegar are then added. Simmer some more until the water is reduced and the fish becomes tender.
Adobong Isda dish is best paired with warm rice. Filipino’s love rice, in fact almost all Filipino dishes are served together with rice.
Bangsilog
Bangsilog is a Traditional Filipino dish in the Philippines that is usually served during Breakfast. The word Bangsilog is a short term for Bangus “Bang” which is a milk fish used, Sinangag or Fried rice for “Si” and Itlog or Fried egg for “Log”, hence Bangsilog.
To prepare this dish, the Bangus or the milkfish is usually marinated (soy sauce, vinegar, garlic) and then fried in cooking oil.. Fried rice is prepared using cold cooked rice and garlic, and then the eggs are typically cooked sunny side up.
In serving Bangsilog, the plate is of course composed of the three main dish: Fried Bangus, Fried rice and Egg. The Fried rice is usually topped with the sunny side up egg and Bangus Fried fish at the side. To make the dish more enticing and delicious, side dishes such as cucumber or fresh tomatoes are added.
Adobong Hito
Hito is a kind of fish popularly known in different names: Catfish in English, Hito is Ilocos, Ito in Pampanga province, and known as Pantat in Cebu, Iloilo and Pangasinan.
Similar to Adobong Isda, Adobong Hito is also another Traditional stew that is prepared with the Catfish as the main ingredient, white vinegar, garlic (crushed), Ginger (to neutralized the smell of the fish), lard, salt and pepper.
The Hito fish is marinated using the mixture of the ginger juice, the garlic and the vinegar. After the marinating process, Hito is then fried in Lard until the fish is crispy. The remaining marinade mixture and water are then added allowing it to simmer until fully cooked and the liquid.
Sinanglay
Sinanglay is another Traditional and popular Filipino cuisine in the Philippines that originates from the Bicol Region, Philippines. It is made from stuffed fish that wrapped in a leafy vegetable with fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic and ginger.
Sinanglay recipes is made with its key ingredient, The Fish. The type of fish commonly used with Sinanglay is Tilapia. Although other types of fish such as Cat fish (hito), Milk Fish (Bangus) and Red snapper (Maya-Maya) are also used with Singanglay recipes. Other ingredients are also used such as fresh tomatoes, garlic, onions, ginger, chili peppers, coconut milk and salt.
Preparing Sinanglay is relatively easy. All you need to do is to wrap the fish in Leafy vegetables such as mustard green, taro leaves or Bok choy are commonly used. The wrapped fish are then cooked and simmered in a medium size pot that contains coconut milk, salt and chili peppers.
Kinunot
Another Filipino cuisine from the Bicol Province in Albay. The word Kinunot comes from the tagalog word which means Flaked or Hinimay.
Kinunot is made with Fish as the main ingredient. The Fish that is usually used for Kinunot recipes is either a stingray or shark fish. Additional ingredients includes coconut milk and cream, spinach, garlic and ginger, white vinegar, chili peppers (hot) and of course the fish sauce.
In preparing this recipe, first the fish is flaked. The flaked fish is then mixed with the rest of the remaining ingredients. The combination are then cooked in the sauce made from coconut milk and cream. Best served with steamed white rice.
Lamayo
Lamayo is a Traditional technique in preparing the fish. The fish that are commonly used is the Tilapia, Bangus (milk fish) and Danggit (Rabbitfish).
It is prepared by first marinating the fish using white vinegar, sugar, salt, water, garlic, chili peppers, peppers (ground) and bay leaves. The fish are then laid on a drying trays and placed under the heat of the sun to dry. You will know if the fish is already ready when it is already dried or its texture is glossy.
Lamayo is the most common Filipino dish usually served in the morning for Breakfast. It is best paired with Garlic fried rice (cooked in cooking oil) and fresh tomatoes as side dish. Spicy vinegar if desired can also be used as a dipping sauce.
Daing na Bangus
Daing na Bangus is another traditional Filipino dish in the Philippines. It is made using Butterflied Bangus (milkfish) that is marinated and then fried in oil until crisp. The marinade mixture consists of white vinegar, garlic, crushed peppercorn, and salt. If you want the spicy version, you can opt to add cayenne pepper powder. For the crunchier texture of the fish, the skin is not removed but remained intact on the Fish.
It is best served with garlic fried rice, spicy vinegar dipping sauce, fried eggs and some pickled vegetables as side dish.
Kinilaw
Kinilaw is a raw cubed seafood dish. It is a popular Filipino appetizer or as a finger food in the Philippines. It is made by washing the fish in vinegar (but not soaked) until its flesh turns into white.
Kinilaw is usually combined with ingredients such as ginger, onions, chili peppers and garlic and calamansi or lemon. In the Philippines, Kinilaw is the favorite appetizer during drinking sessions.
Daing
Daing is a popular Filipino term relating to the traditional Filipino technique of marinating the fish in the Philippines. There are different varieties of the types of fish that is produced with Daing that mostly differs in the moisture and texture.
Daing is a marinated dried fish that is used mostly in combination with other Filipino dishes that is either used as a side dish, as a topping to a dish or as a condiment.
Pinangat
Pinangat is another popular Filipino stew in the Philippines. There are two versions when preparing this Dish, the traditional (sour version) way and the Bicolano way of preparing.
For the sour version, Pinangat is prepared with the fish, tamarind, bilimbi and vinegar. While on the other hand, the Bicol version is made with fish, coconut milk, taro leaves and hot chili peppers. The kind of fish that is mostly used with Pinangat dish are sardines, catfish and or Tuna.
Preparing Pinangat dish is easy, all you need to do is to mix all the ingredients together and then cook them.