Alimasag Drowning in Sisig Laing a la Zubudagat

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We tested dozens and dozens of seafood dishes before we came up with our initial menu for Zubudagat. Many tasted wonderful, but didn’t make the “cut” because they took too long, presented stocking problems beyond the ones we could tolerate, or we didn’t think the public would order them enough. This is one of those dishes that didn’t make it. But we may offer it as a special on weekends. Our Executive Chef came up with this idea to pair his incredibly delicious lechon sisig laing with seafood. We tried it with grilled tangigue (spanish mackerel) steaks and it was a hit and tasted terrific, but it didn’t look great, but it’s on the menu… We also tried this with grilled or fried prawns, and that was a keeper too. But stocking live or very fresh crabs constantly made this last version harder to keep on the menu.

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Essentially, it requires the freshest (live) alimasag (blue crab), that’s steamed for say 10-12 minutes until just cooked. Then you plate the crab and drown in it in lechon sisig laing (sorry, can’t share that recipe right now, but if you look up my laing recipes, it’s a version of that, but done by a real Bicolano). The sweet crab meat, together with the rich tasty laing is a surprisingly good dish. Dip the crab in the nice, oily coconut sauce ramped up with lehcon fat and… what else can I say? Have lots of rice at the ready. :)

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Marketman

Marketman is a well-traveled management consultant who loves buying, cooking and eating good food. Read more »

52 Responses

  1. I’m not a big fan of alimasag but this could seriously convert me. Pass the rice please!

  2. This is serious torture for someone who hasn’t had breakfast yet!!! :(( Laing in itself is enough but to top it off with alimasag? Wow! Several kaldero of kanin to accompany this dish is all I can say.

  3. My goodness! It doesn’t get any better than that, does it? Congratulations on your latest venture!

  4. Sisig has never been one of our most visually appealing dishes but the chiffonade of gabi leaves may actually have given it cover so it does not look bad at all. I imagine Bicol Express can also be yoked this way with say steamed or grilled prawns.

    Here is a reboot of my related doggerel from seven years ago:

    The sight of taro makes me hunger for laing
    And even more so when I pair it with daing
    But the trouble with this
    Quite delectable dish
    Is it brings back thoughts of the late Lilian Laing

  6. Footloose, that is so generational! Not too many will get the last two words. She was such a caricature but unfortunately that caricature is more commonplace now.

  8. Footloose, I must admit, I have no idea who Lilian Laing was… bluegirl and dragon, thank you so much for remembering and your greetings.

  10. Lechon sisig laing? Are you serious?? I am crying right now for not living in Cebu, just so you know! I will be thinking of this the whole day, and possibly tonight as well! I am faint from wanting!!

    Ok, I will resist the urge to badger you once again about opening in Manila…because I am nice and it’s your birthday :) Happy birthday MM!!! :)

  11. Happy Birthday MM!!!!

    Wow! This dish looks so good….crabs and laing… 2 of my faves…will do my version this weekend! Thanks MM for the idea!

  12. I just had alimasag last night with lamb chops. I thought the sweet subtle taste of crab meat went well with the stronger taste of lamb.

    Happy birthday MM! Looking forward to your post on your bday spread.

  15. Special Birthday wishes to MM from Downunder!

    Blue swimmer crabs with laing looks so scrumptous! Pass the rice, please!

  20. My Cebu layover plan on October is set. Ride the yellow mini-jeep from the airport to Zubuchon/Zubudagat Marina Mall. Walk balk to the airport… or crawl.

  29. OMG! laing and alimasag are my two favorite hypertension-inducing pinoy ulams! I can almost imagine the sweet crabmeat drenched in creamy laing, punched up by the heat from the sili and the porcine flavor of sisig. Nakakaiyak isipin ang sarap nya. With a bandehado of rice please!

    Happy Birthday MM! Continued success on your endeavors ( so successful you’ll have not one but many branches of Zubuchon in Manila soon! :D)

  31. Footloose…that’s why all the young mobile hipster Pinoys in the Bay Area wrap sisig in tortillas and call them tacos.

  32. Happy birthday MM. We wish you all the best in your adventures…:)

    Anyway, another great dish to try when we head to Cebu. Hopefully it would still be on the menu..:) Growing up, steamed alimasag is one of my favorite dishes and to add laing and sisig with it, that’s brilliancy in my vocabulary. Will try to emulate it ..

  34. Genius pairing!!! The taste buds will do a “standing ovation” if at all possible.

    Happy, happy birthday, Market Manila!

  35. Happy Birthday MM! I will refrain from commenting on your food, because seriously!!!, it looks delicious!

  43. You combined two of my favorite things to eat on this planet: Seafood and “anything with gata”. Happy Birthday to my favorite blogger!!

  44. Hi MM what if you deep fry the alimasag instead of steaming it? I prefer deep fried alimango, I don’t know if it will work with alimasag though, because I feel the meat is more succulent that way.

  45. GT, yes, it does work with deep fried alimasag as well, we tried that variation. But we coated the blue crabs with a light coating of egg white, cornstarch and salt and pepper first for added flavor, crunch and to help seal in the moisture of the crab meat. I like simply done deep fried crab as well dipped into a simple sawsawan of garlic and vinegar.

    I think I have a recipe for oven baked crabs with garlic and lemon that you might like, I featured it in 2005, here.

    Thank you all for your kind bday greetings!

  50. Happy half a century, MM! Hope you have another half a century of happy and healthy years!

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