Seafood has become so pricey in recent years, that it seems much of the Filipino diet has shifted to cheaper carbohydrates and often chicken as the main source of protein (if one can even afford the protein). It’s sad really, for a country with so many islands and previously such bounty from the sea. Even dried fish like danggit is now fetching PHP600 a kilo at close to the source, and perhaps as much as PHP900 a kilo in parts of Manila. Provincial markets once groaning with seafood are now often half-empty and the fish seem to be getting smaller and smaller.
Growing up, my parents were huge fans of seafood, and we had fish VERY OFTEN, either from overnight sport fishing trips my dad took from Batangas to around Lubang island or as far as Mindoro, and whose catch in several styrofoam coolers were prepped and frozen for later consumption, or from market forays to that yielded a lot of good deals. Dad also dabbled in fishponds in Quezon (lots of prawns and mud crabs that ate the precious prawns) as well as places on the coast of Pangasinan for other farmed fish. Like many Filipinos, I like several kinds of fish deep fried, but I also like them steamed, or baked or poached. I love squid, shrimp, crabs, etc. I like dried fish, fresh fish, and even fermenting fish and shrimp in the form of guinamos or bagoong.
So my question is, what are your top 5 seafood dishes? What do you prepare at home often, or order when you eat out at restaurants? What do you miss the most or look forward to eating after a lengthy absence from the country? I would love to read your picks, favorites and most pined for Filipino seafood dishes… Thanks!
72 Responses
1. Fried Dapa without tail (Palad in Hiligaynon)
2. Small Galunggong with red tails. Paksiw and then fried
3. Crabmeat Torta
4. Catfish. Either cooked in Gata or adobo.
5. Managat or Mangrove Jack. Expensive fat fish! So good, I hate it.
Before deep frying became common. We seem to be losing the traditional ways of cooking fish like pangat, paksiw, pesa, sinaing. Where each method goes well with a certain type of fish. Good thing that inihaw, sinigang and tinowa are still popular.
1. Boiled or steamed alimango or alimasag
2. Boiled or steamed suahe
3. Inihaw na bangus
4. Kilawin na Tanigue
5. Baked Tahong
Menu mainstays at home:
Paksiw na isda (whatever is fresh at the market) with lots of sili and eggplant.
Sinaing na tulingan, the slower the cook, the better.
Daing na bangus, sometimes a la pobre.
Sinigang with dorado fillets or maya-maya
Tuyo fillets, bottled in oil.
Adobong pusit
BUT, if calories/time to prep/budget/supply are not an issue…
Steamed crabs and shrimp
Tanguige kinilaw or grilled with sawsawan
Prawns in Aligue (!!!!)
Crispy Hito
Steamed lapu-lapu, chinese style
1.steamed and ginataang crabs
2.butter and garlic fried prawns
3.fried galunggong
4.paksiw na dilis, dilis omelette
5.fried bangus, tinolang bangus
6.baked tahong, garlic and butter sauteed tahong
7.adobong squid, or inihaw na squid
8.kinilaw na bariles
9.deep fried lapulapu
10.inihaw na panga ng tuna
dreamin’ on! from here up in the frozen north :)
Davao Prices
1. sinugbang big-eye tuna belly – P 300/kilo
2. Baked Imbao ( Mangrove clams) w wasabi- P 120/kilo
3. Tamban made into Spanish Sardines – P 80kilo plus ingredients
4. Pompano- Steamed or Sugba – P 280/kilo
5. Adobong Kubotan ( squid) – P 150/kilo
6. Steamed Swahe – P 280/kilo
7. Kinilaw na malasugue with Biasong Lime – P 300/kilo
Steamed crabs
Buttered prawns
Adobong pusit
Clams Pasta
Calamares
Ginataang hipon with kalabasa and sitaw
Sinigang na bangus
Rellenong bangus
Chilli and Garlic prawns
Sinigang na hipon
Sarciadong isda
Ginataang or steamed alimasag/alimango
Inihaw na pusit
1. Steamed suahe
2. Mud crabs ginataan with pako
3. In Ilocos, I would look for mullet (they call it pasga or porong; or banak in Mindoro) and cook it in sinigang
4. Fried to a crisp native hito and small tilapia (the size of your palms)
5. Fresh oysters
Tinolang isda
Sinugba/ihaw bangus
Kinilaw na malasugue
Steamed tahong
Sinigang na hipon
Miss terribly…
My mom’s SINAING NA TULINGAN
My Ate’s ADOBONG PUSIT
My Aunt’s GINATAN NA BIYA? ….but here I am fortunate to know someone who goes fishing and catches oolichan….a very good substitute for BIYA, so I make a pretty good clone of my aunt’s BIYA guinatan.
Will have any day kahit araw araw…Paksiw na king mackerel with lots of ginger and sliced onions and garlic with just a litlle patis, vinegar, seasoning…the longer it sits, the better!
A bowl of my prawn wontons any day with baby shanghai bok Choy.
1. Ginataang alimango (with malunggay or langka)
2. Ginataang hipon (with malunggay or langka)
3. Kinunot na pagi.
4. Ginataang hito; its belly filled with onions, ginger, tomatoes, then wrapped in gabi and simmered in coconut milk.
5. Tilmok (made with river shrimps, grated young coconut, spices, then wrapped in gabi and simmered in coconut milk)
6. Ginataang tulingan.
Obviously, too, I’m partial to anything with coconut milk. True blue Bicolana here.
1.) Sinigang na bangus
2.) Paksiw na bangus
3.) Fried tilapia
4.) Fried daing na bangus
5.) Inihaw na ulo at panga ng tuna
6.) Curried bariles
1. steamed shrimps
2. steamed talangka
3. bangus sinigang sa miso with mustasa
4. fried dried squids
5. steamed blue crabs and mud crabs
1. Super Fresh Raw OYSTER
2. SINUGNO from Quezon Province – grilled Tilapia then cooked in coconut milk with green veggies
3. Kilawing Tangigue
4. Uni Tama – sea urchin with quail egg – heavenly
5. Steamed Lapu-lapu
So much more, like squid cooked in its own ink, all the shrimp, crabs and lobster, sinigang and/or inihaw na Blue Marlin from Bohol ughhhhh so good. lol
1. Ginataang alimasag
2. Mutya ng Cavite (bouillabaisse)
3. Sinigang na Sugpo
4. Fried Hito
5. Inihaw na Isda (all kinds)
Your blog always makes me hungry and makes me yearn for the Philippines that I knew as a child. Thank you for bringing some of those memories into my consciousness.
Crabs, sugpo, fried dried fish with tomatoes and onions, and from the baklad next door we usually get Talakitok which is also fried or made into a sinigang. We sometimes buy big squids and boil it in salty water then slice it and eat it sashimi style. These are usually only eaten when we go to the Philippines since it is bought fresh from the wet market. Back home seafoods are too expensive and it’s hard to find the big squid and lapulapu coming from the Philippines like we use to get years ago.
1. steamed alimango
2. steamed suahe (suahe is so hard to find hereabouts these days ever since the white “vannamei” became the norm)
3. kinilaw na tuna or malasugui
4. baked scallops
5. the huge mantis shrimp from palawan, steamed
6. inihaw na tuna belly or panga, preferably the big eye kind
7. grilled or steamed managat
8. adobong pusit
9. pinangat na sapsap or talakitok
10. fried tanguige
sorry, MM, so hard to stick to only 5…i just realized that seafood is infinitely more versatile and generally simpler to prepare than meat.
onix, i knew only a fellow davaoeno would be finicky about tuna and specify big eye. kung walang iba, pwede na double A.
My personal seafood favorites: most of them fr. my childhood.
1) Adobong Pusit na may itlog, minimal lang at nagmamantika ang ink sauce.
2) Halabos na hipon.
3) Tanigue – inihaw
4) Paksiw na Bisugo with Siling pasiti/anaheim (when we eat this paksiw, it’s with chicharon )
5) Lamayo paired with wansoy, kamatis and some patis ; Fried Tinapa ( fr. Salinas Cavite, male galungong. Try it MM! ) Tuyo ( tunsoy or lawlaw) Daing na Bisugo. Daing na Pusit fr. Cebu
and…. KANIN!! :-))
* Freshly fried Tuyo is now available at Seafood City Supermarket! I’m so happy!! There’s no good Bottled Tuyo, it’s either matigas or durog!
1. Pesang Isda (for some weird reason, Dalag or Mudfish is not available in our area. That’s I dont know what other type of fish should I substitute with it.)
2. Sinigang na Hipon
3. Paksiw na Bangus
4. Adobong Pusit
5. Ginataang Alimango
1. Fried dapa
2. Grilled pusit
3. Grilled Tuna panga
4. Buttered shrimps
5. Baked tahong
Now I’m hungry!!
1. Halabos na hipon na super fresh
2. Anything cooked paksiw style and then fried for breakfast (I hate paksiw though)
3. Ginisa in ginger and tomatoes. Any fish. Most fish.
4. Fried tawilis.
5. Rellenong bangus :)
But bangus and salmon are my alltime favorite seafood.
1. grilled stuffed squid
2. tinolang tahong
3. ginataang sugpo – the kind with latik
4. good old fried bangus
5. fried galunggong with a side of ginisang monggo
:D
Have a great Monday everyone! :)
Dishes based on seafood that can be sourced locally
Ihaw / Sugba:
1. Inihaw na pusit (stuffed) / baby squid
2. Inihaw na panga ng tuna
3. Inihaw na bangus / tilapia (stuffed)
Soup:
1. Sinigang na maya-maya (salmon head or belly as substitute)
2. Pesang maya-maya (subtituted hito)
3. Tinulang tahong / halaan
Kilaw:
1. Kinilaw na Dilis
2. Kinilaw na Tanigue
Fried / Braised / Steamed:
1. Adobong pusit
2. Deep fried fish (bangus daing or plain , tilapia, galunggong, lapu-lapu, pompano)
3. Halabos na Sugpo / Alimango / Alimasag
4. Ginataang Sugpo / Alimango / Alimasag
5. Paksiw na bangus
6. Tuyo, Danggit, Tinapa (Salinas / Bangus)
Such a long list but sadly seafood is so expensive in our country nowadays…sigh
my top 5 favorite seafood dishes which we usually prepare at home
1. halabos na hipon o sugpo
2. ginataang alimango sa kalabasa at sitaw
3. inihaw na isda (talakitok, tuna, tilapia)
4. inihaw na pusit
5. pasta in seafood marinara sauce
1. Steamed Crabs
2. Steamed Suahe
3. Kilawin na Tanigue
4. Inihaw na Bangus and Tuna Belly
5. Steamed, baked or grilled oysters, scallops and diwal
sinugbang samin-samin (i’m not sure what they really call this type of fish)…
pritong galunggong/gigi (love it crispy so i can eat the heads)…
paksiw na tamban (with lots of kamias. pair it with chorizo from king’s and i’m in heaven)…
prito/daing na bangus…
shrimps/prawns cooked in chili and sweetened with honey…
sinugbang panga ng tuna…
1. Steamed crabs or crab cakes
2. Steamed alupihang dagat
3. Asadong hipon (toyo’t kalamansi)
4. Paksiw na lukaok
5. Steamed or baked oysters, scallops
1. Ginataang Almiasag
2. Ginataan + Bagoong Sugpo
3. Daing na Bangus
4. Danggit
5. Steamed Cupapa (a new favorite)
pusit, adobo
hito, inihaw
dalag, ginataan
bangus, paksiw or relleno
biya, fried
1. Pritong galunggong
2. paksiw na tangigue
3. steamed crabs
4. fried shrimp
5. sinugbang kitong
millet – haha, so you noticed… Big eye tuna or locally known as “tombo” is really a few notches higher than the yellow fin type in terms of taste and that” melt in the mouth” factor !
Grilled Squid!!! Baked tahong! Ugh the cheesy goodness. Seafood pasta <3
1. Sinigang na Bangus
2. Daing na bangus
3. Calamares
4. Tinuwa na isda ( red snapper or lapu-lapu)
5. dried Danggit
Sorry po, sobra ng lima, pero ang hiral pumili! In no particular order…
1. Swaki on rice with calamansi (sea urchin from Bohol, just fresh from a Tanduay bottle, eaten with rice, and a tiny drop of the kalamansi! Had it 11 years ago, still cannot forget about it!)
2. Mama and Papa’s ginataang tilapia wrapped in cabbage
3. daing na bangus (favorite part is the belly)
4. Fried danggit/dried squid
5. Papa’s garlicky fried crabs
6. Grilled fish/squid/etc.
7. Bagoong ng Alaminos/Bolinao made out of tiny fish (nakalimutan ko na ano tawag)
8. Squid sisig
9. Seaweed salad
10. Mama and Papa’s, or Aling Ising’s sinigang na salmon sa miso
Halabos na hipon
Boiled (in 7-Up) crab
Pritong dalagang bukid (with kamatis and sibuyas)
Escabecheng dalagang bukid or lapu-lapu
Pesa (can’t remember what fish my grandparents used)
Totchong bangus (this one I only learned to appreciate when I was already in high school)
Though not a seafood, I also loved guinataang kuhol.
Focusing only on Pinoy seafood dishes… in no particular order…
Daing na bangus
Danggit
That 70s-baduy lapu-lapu dish with mayo, chopped boiled eggs, and other stuff on top
Galunggong
Adobong pusit
1. Paksiw na sapsap o bisugo, or small galunggong yung may kaunting sabaw eaten with fried or scrambled eggs and fried rice for breakfast
2. Daing na pusit, fried, isawsaw sa sinamak
3. Sinigang na ulo ng tangigue, bangus belly, or salmon belly
3. Steamed shrimp (not farmed prawns) and crabs
4. Partially dried (lamayo) butterflied hasahasa, fried and eaten with chopped tomatoes or sinawsaw sa sinamak
5. Broiled or grilled big sardines or tuloy in Ilonggo
6. Mixed seafood pasta – usually clams, shrimp, squid, and chunks of white-fleshed fish
7. Shrimp, crabs, or ulo at laman ng malalaking isda (like tangigue) in vegetable stew – usually kadyos, malunggay, sitaw, papaya, sigarillas, talong, patani
These are childhood faves which are best cooked by our Lelang at home:
1. Sinigang na kanduli sa miso at mustasa
2. Biya sa gata
3. Binayabasang alimanggo
These are recent faves which I regularly make for dinner:
4. Chinese-style steamed fresh fish with soy sauce and fresh herbs flashfried
5. Oven-grilled salmon
I just love the simple stuff.. :)
– Steamed Lapu-Lapu (not any other fish) with oyster sauce.
– Daing na Bangus (Homemade)
– Gambas al Ajillo
– Danggit (from Cebu)
– Crispy Calamari
– Grilled Panga
1. Dulong Dilis – served crispy with boiled tomatoes,patis, scrambled egg and garlic fried rice.
2. Tuyo (any dried fish) – I especially savor the skin, saving it for last. Although I know a lot throw away the stuff.
3. Tinapang Boneless Bangus- nothing beats our own smoked fish, flaked for pansit palabok or fried and served with rice.
4. Grilled stuffed squid
5. Sinigang na hipon or ulang, served piping hot over white rice.
YumYumYum!!!
1) fried boneless bangus with tyan!
2) crabmeat torta, especially my Lola’s
3) steamed alimango and suahe
4) kinilaw tanigue
5) fresh oysters or baked oysters
6) adobong pusit
1. Sinigang na hipon / bangus
2. Steamed crabs
3. Halabos na suahe
4. “Tinolang” tahong
5. Paksiw na isda
(Okay, now I’m hungry. Haha.)
1. Grilled hito
2. For hito/tulingan: Paksiw then adding coconut milk
3. Deep fried dapa (palad), betilla or tawilis
4. Prawns with aligue
5. Adobong pusit
To friedneurons: I also love that lapulapu dish with the mayo and toppings! Too bad I don’t see it anymore but when it does appear at parties, I make sure I get some :) brings back such happy memories :)
1.Steamed crabs/alimango/talangka packed with crab fat!
2. Halabos or deep fried suahe
3. Steamed/baked tahong
4. Inihaw/rellenong bangus
5. Pinaputok na tilapia
MM, have you tried tochong bangus and fish cardillo? tocho is relatively unknown outside Luzon, while cardillo is fairly common everywhere, albeit by different names.
1. Pan-Seared Halibut w/Butter
2. Chili Crab
3. Bangus Kilawin
4. Fried Bangus – at Tagaytay Highlands
5. Steamed Lapu-Lapu
1. Sinigang na Lapu lapu/Rayos/Talakitok etc.
2. Kinilaw na Tanigue
3. Alimango sa gata
4. Pritong galunggong sawsaw sa sukang maanghang at bagoong monamon
5. Inihaw na kapapatay na tilapia sawsaw sa kamatis sibuyas mangga na may bagoong alamang
1. Sinigang na Pompano
2. Paksiw na Bangus/ Bilong bilong
3. Inihaw na Tuna (tombo)/Malasugue
4. Deep fried Galunggong/Dalagambukid/Hito
5. Tuna Laing – Yellow Fin Resto Davao
1. oysters
2. steamed fish or suahe
3. deep fried fish (topped with scallions, cilantro, soy etc)
4. crabs/lobsters (regardless of how they are cooked)
5. grilled pusit (stuffed or plain)
1. Pesa and pocherong dalag
2. kilawin tanigue
3. sinigang sa miso na kanduli
4. paksiw na ayungin
5. ginataang biya at tambakol
6. inihaw na tamban w/ calamansi
7. adobong pusit
#54 Germac say:
1. Charcoal grilled native catfish with bihud inside
2. Abalone with sea cucumber ,black musrooms in oyter sauce
3. Ginataang Biya wrapped in mustasa
4. grilled large kanduli / sinigang na halibut
5.grilled large squid with alimango and aligue as filler for relleno.
1. Sinigang na hipon
2. Steamed crabs
This post makes me want to run to the nearest dampa for lunch.
1. Steamed crabs or shrimps.
2. Tinapa
3. Inihaw na pusit
4. I don’t know what it’s called but my mom cooks tahong in soy sauce, garlic, ginger and a touch of vinegar. Is it adobong tahong?
5. Fried tangigue/asohos/tilapia with a dipping sauce of calamansi and patis
Not Filipino, but I also love sashimi, sushi, tempura, baked mussels/oysters/scallops, clam chowder, chili crabs, and fish and chips.
1. I miss my grandma’s tochong bangus but anything bangus is love – fried, sinigang, dinaing, pesa, relleno, inihaw, bistik :)
2. My husband’s alimasag requests – ginataan with kalabasa, relleno, steamed
3. Halabos na shrimp (marinated in sprite/lemon, salt and pepper)
4. Fried/Grilled salmon belly
5. Fried tustadong hito
And a lot more. Kulang ang top 5 :)
– grilled squid
– anything kilawin / kinilaw
– sinigang na sugpo or salmon belly
– halabos na sugpo
– fried or grilled boneless bangus
1. sinaing na tulingan
2. ginataang hipon with sigadillas
3. paksiw na pusit
4. pasta in squid ink
5. ginataang alimango
6. chinese or southern seafood preparation
7. paksiw na galunggung
8. kinamatisa na ulo ng malaking isda
– sinigang na sapsap na me kamangi/kemangi
– inasal na bangus
– steamed alimango (naghahalo ang green na taba at orange na aligue)
– steamed hipon
– pritong lamayong isda
When I’ve been away from home, these are what I look forward to eating:
1. Crispy fried hito
2. Crispy fried tawilis
3. Ginataang biya
4. Adobong ayungin
5. Sinaing na tulingan (using kamias)
But these are what I/we usually prepare wherever we are:
1. Prawns shantung style
2. Baked salmon
3. Steamed oysters/scallops
4. Chili crabs
5. Ceviche/Chinese style steamed fish
Adobong Pusit
Paksiw na Galunggong
Inihaw na Tuna
Relyenong Bangus
Sariwang Talaba
hmm.. kulang nga ang top 5
Nakakagutom Mr MM :)))
What I miss from home:
1. Fried/ grilled boneless bangus with abundant belly part :)
2. Inihaw na tilapia/ bangus
3. Relyenong bangus (again! yes I love and miss bangus!)
4. Fried lapu-lapu topped with some sweet& sour sauce, lots of sliced carrots and ginger (I forgot what this dish was called)
5. Adobong pusit
1. Sizzing boneless Dagupan Bangus
2. Grilled oysters
3. Prawns in Aligue
4. nilasing na hipon
5. Marketmans Crab sotanghon
1. Sinigang na tanigue sa miso
2. Steamed Alimasag and Hipon
3. Adobong pusit..konti lang sabaw and mataba
4. Big Inihaw na boneless bangus and tinapa
5. Yellow fin paksiw and then with gata and inihaw na talong
6. Baked salmon with mustard
7. Baked big tahong
8. Clam pasta
9. Aligue pasta
10. Dried pusit from estancia with kamatis and sukang masarap
11. all kinds of paksiw na isda (sapsap, bisugo, bangus)
1. kinilaw na malasugui/ tuna with gata, dipped in kikkoman ( mixed the burning charcoal with the coconut before extracting the juice and your kinilaw will have the smoky flavor, this is how my waray uncle did it… very delicious)
2. tinola na very fresh with plenty of malunggay /sinigang na bangus preferably the head
3. sinugba any fish will do
4. crabs/alimango cooked in plain old salt and garlic, lots of it
5. shrimps/pansat cooked in sprite with a dash of soy sauce and garlic again…
1. pritong galunggong (native, small ones)
2. steamed curacha
3. halabos na hipon suahe
4. fried bilong-bilong
5. steamed fat crabs
1. Shrimp in butter, garlic, banana ketchup, and liverwurst/liverspread sauce.
2. Pancit Pusit- sotanghon version with added squid balls and some veggies for color, this dish has the same dinuguan color appeal :)
3. Steamed alimasag or alimango with vinegar and garlic dipping sauce.
4. Mutya ng Cavite- Josephine’s Restaurant version
5. Pinaksiw na malabanos- sea snake in ginger and garlic broth.
6. Grilled oysters or mussels- dipped in vinegar, shredded raw mango, crushed garlic, chopped red onion, sea salt and siling labuyo.
7. Dilis or jeproks- fried to maximum crunch in #3 or #6 dipping sauce
8. Shrimp sinigang- with sili at patis on the side
9. Dinaing na bangus- with kamatis and itlog na pula and chicharon on the side
10. Clams tinola style
1. Sinaing na tulingan with pork fat.
2. Sinigang na Hipon with calamnsi and bird eye chilies.
3. Inihaw na Tuna.
4. Grilled/Baked Tahong
1. Sinaing na Tulingan – ng Mommy Luz
2. Kinilaw na Tanigue with Hilaw na Manga
3. Ginataang Alimango – fat crab from Surigao
4. Inihaw na Panga ng Tuna – “fresh” from the GenSan Fish Port
5. Sinigang na Palikpik ng Tuna – its been ages that i’ve eaten this one (i remember this with puso ng saging) ahhh the good thing of living in GenSan
to add…
1. Paksiw na Tuna Buntot
2. Tuna belly – inihaw, paksiw or deep fried
3. Nilasing na Hipon
1.) Baked Tahong
2.) Ginataang Swahe / Talangka / Tahong
3.) Chili Garlic Shrimps
4.) Sinigang na Kanduli sa Miso
5.) Binukadkad na Plapla with Green Mango and Wansoy on the side
6.) Crispy Fried Catfish with Calamansi/Asin sauce
Mine would have to be:
1) Sinigang na hipon sa kamatis or sampalok
2) Halabos na hipon/alimango/alimasag
3) Paksiw na whatever fish is fresh that day
4) Ginataang kalabasa/sitaw/sigarilyas with shrimp or crab
5) Tortang dilis with ginataang ulay or pinakbet.
6) Blanched oysters and crispy-fried small galunggong
All home-cooked, preferrably :)