Ginataang Galunggong:
½ kilo fresh Galunggong
½ cup vinegar
¼ cup water
2 native green pepper (long)
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp Vetsin
2 Tbsp ginger, minced
1 ½ cups coconut cream, thick
Directions:
Clean Galunggong, arrange in a shallow pan. Add salt, vinegar, water, pepper, ginger, and Vetsin. Boil, do not stir. Cook for 5 minutes. Add coconut cream. Stir gently so the crème will not curdle. When it boils, cover, and lower heat. Cook for 10 minutes and until sauce thickens.
*Ginataang Galunggong is an extremely common fish in Philippine waters and markets. Considered the benchmark of local well being, the price of a kilo of Galunggong is tracked by the President of the Republic of the Philippines and the press in the same way that the Big Mac index is used globally. Galunggong or Mackerel Scad (Decapterus macarellus) can grow up to a foot in length and has a dark somewhat oily but tasty flesh. Fried galunggong and boiled white rice is the basic meal of that mythical seaside Filipino Juan, Jose or Procopio. At the market recently, I was accompanied by an old work colleague who is now based in the U.S. and who wanted to wander around a local wet market. The combination of Marketman and a nice white guy really sent prices soaring! One vendor had some very fresh looking baby galunggong about 5-6 inches long. Just a bit bigger than sardines, my guest asked if we could get some and grill them like fresh sardines in the Mediterranean. We bargained them down to PHP40 for half of a kilo and I walked away knowing I had just paid 20% more than I should have, but what the heck. To prepare, de-gut the fish by having someone with fingers smaller than mine pull the guts out through the mouth. If the fish is too small or the guts are too slippery, make a small slit in the stomach area and extract the guts. Rinse well and dry with paper towels. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and some olive oil (extra virgin not necessary). Fire up a grill or barbecue and when hot, grill the galunngong until just cooked, perhaps a couple of minutes on each side depending on the heat of the fire. I also grilled some siling mahaba (long green chillis) that I found in the fridge. Serve with patis (fish sauce) and dayap (lime) or kalamansi (calamondin). They were really very good. Something I will cook more often. My guests for lunch ate the whole fish, head included, but I just ate the body and removed the bones.
Submitted By Jim & Nila