Adobong Galunggong

Adobong Galunggong is a Filipino scad fish dish prepared by marinating scad fish in a mixture of vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and spices and simmering in a pan, which infuses it with a tangy and savory flavor. The result is a delightful blend of sweet, sour, and salty taste profiles that tantalize the taste buds. Adobong galunggong showcases the simplicity and deliciousness of traditional Filipino flavors.

Adobong Galunggong Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo galunggong
• 3 pieces tomatoes (chopped)
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 4 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 thumb ginger (chopped)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup vinegar
• 1 cup water
• black pepper to taste
• green chilies (chopped)
• dried bay leaves
• oil (for frying)

Directions:

1. Wash and prepare the galunggong. Remove the innards and then make some slits. Sprinkle and rub some salt on both sides.
2. Heat some oil in a pan. Add the galunggong and fry them until slightly browned. Flip to cook the other side. Transfer the fried galunggong to a plate and set aside.
3. In another pan, add the garlic, onions and ginger. Saute them for a few minutes until aromatic. Gently crush the tomatoes to extract the juice.
4. Arrange the galunggong in the pan. Sprinkle some black pepper. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, bay leaves and a cup of water. Cover the pot and let this simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Pour some of the soup over the fish to cook them evenly.
5. Add some chopped chilies if you like before turning the heat off.
6. Transfer the adobong galunggong to a serving plate. Enjoy this with a big bowl of hot steaming rice. Yum!

What is Galunggong?

Galunggong, also known as mackerel scad or short-bodied mackerel, is a type of fish that is commonly found in the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries. It is a small to medium-sized fish with a distinct silver color and a slightly elongated shape. Galunggong is known for its firm and flavorful flesh, making it a popular choice for various Filipino dishes.

The fish has a slightly oily texture and a mild, sweet flavor that lends itself well to different cooking methods. It can be grilled, fried, or used in soups and stews. Galunggong is often praised for its affordability and accessibility, as it is widely available in local markets and is considered a staple in Filipino households.

Adobong Galunggong

When you’re into fish dishes, then you have probably used galunggong in your recipes. Galunggong is one of my favorite fishes to use mainly because it is relatively cheaper than other fishes and its size is already good for one. No need to cut in serving slices!

Meanwhile, adobo is one of the easiest dishes to make. The defining characteristic of an adobo recipe lies in its sweet, savoury sauce with a balance of sour and salty. And guess what? You can achieve the most basic version of this dish with just the combination of soy sauce and vinegar.

With the galunggong being one of the most budget friendly among the types fish and adobo using the least possible ingredients, adobong galunggong is the perfect dish during petsa de peligro or just when you wanna go tipid on your food budget.

If you wanna know how to make adobong galunggong, read and follow the quick and easy steps below. Happy cooking!

How to Cook Adobong Galunggong

Adobong Galunggong is one of the easiest adobo varieties ever. As the fish cooks faster than meat and chicken, you can expect this dish to be prepared way quicker than other versions using other protein sources.  If you have tried making any adobo dishes in the past, then this dish will truly be super easy for you.

While you can use any type of fish for adobo, one of the easiest and most economical type of fishes is the galunggong. With its regular size, 1-2 pieces of galunggong can already complete your meal. Wash the galunggong and remove the innards. You can do this by yourself or ask the seller at the wet market to do this for you.

Galunggong are pretty much very easy to handle. Unlike other protein sources where you need to marinate and tenderize the meat first, we skip these steps for the galunggong. Just a little salt rub will already have the fish prepared in an instant. I made some slits on the fish’s body to make it cook better for later.

While some adobong galunggong recipes directly cooks the fish on the adobo sauce, I like mine to be fried a little just for the fish to maintain its structure while cooking. Having the fish crushed in the process is actually normal but ruins the looks of the dish. So just fry the galunggong for a few minutes until both sides are browned. If you want to lessen the use of oil, you can simply air fry the fish instead of frying.

The next part is preparing the adobo sauce base. Of course we start with the aromatics. Some adobo recipes uses only onions and garlic as the base, but I would like add more flavors to the sauce by also using tomatoes and ginger. Both of these can also help lessen the too much fishy taste and smell of the galunggong.

Once sauteed, add the soy sauce, vinegar, bay leaves and a cup of water. I like mine saucy but feel free to add more water according to your taste. Remember not to stir the mixture once you added the vinegar as it may spread the raw taste of the vinegar. Wait for the strong smell to evaporate before stirring.

The last step would be adding the fried fish into the adobo sauce and let it simmer for a few minutes so that the flavors of the sauce will sip into each fish. If you want a spicy version of this dish, you may add some chopped chilies or chili flakes.

If you want to keep the galunggong crispy, you can serve the fish and the sauce separately. I love my adobong galunggong together with a lot of hot steaming rice. Yum!

Adobong Galunggong Recipe in Tagalog

Mga Sangkap:

• 1 kilong galunggong
• 3 pirasong kamatis (hiniwa)
• 1 medium na sibuyas (hiniwa)
• 4 butil ng bawang (hiniwa)
• 1 thumb ng luya (hiniwa)
• 1/4 tasang toyo
• 1/3 tasang suka
• 1 tasang tubig
• paminta
• siling haba (hiniwa)
• tuyong dahon ng laurel
• mantika (pang-prito)

Paano Lutuin:

1. Hugasan at ihanda ang mga galunggong. Alisin ang mga lamang-loob. Lagyan ng hiwa ang katawan ng mga ito. Budburan ng kaunting asin at pahiran sa parehong side.

2. Magpainit ng mantika sa isang kawali. Iluto ang mga galunggong hanggang maging light brown. Baliktarin ang mga ito para maluto ang kabilang side. Ilipat ang pritong galunggong sa lalagyan at itabi.

3. Sa isa pang kawali, ilagay ang bawang, sibuyas, at luya. Igisa ang mga ito ng ilang minuto hanggang maging mabango. Medyo durugin ang mga kamatis para lumabas ang mga juices nito.

4. I-ayos ang mga galunggong sa kawali. Budburan ng kaunting paminta. Timplahan ng toyo, suka, bay leaves, at isang tasa ng tubig. Takpan ang kawali at hayaang maluto ito ng 3 hanggang 5 na minuto. Buhus-buhusan ng konting sabaw ang mga isda upang maluto ng pantay.

5. Lagyan ng hiniwang sili kung gusto mo ng maanghang. Patayin ang apoy.

6. Ilipat ang adobong galunggong sa serving plate. Enjoyin ito kasama ng malaking bowl ng mainit na kanin. Yum!