Ginataang Galunggong

Galunggong or round scad (some call it mackerel scad and short fin scad) is a common fish variety in the Philippines. This was considered as a poor man’s food back in the days because of its affordable cost. However, things change as time goes by. Contrary to its status in the past, the retail price of galunggong fluctuated and eventually landed somewhere in the median level. I would rather talk about how good this fish is rather than how much it costs in the local market. Just like any other fish variety, galunggong comes in different sizes. I used to buy small galunggong in the Philippines because it tastes awesome when fried. I do not need to remove the fish bones and head while eating and it is easy to make the fish crispy. All I needed is a cup of spice vinegar and a couple cups of rice. The bigger sized fish of this variety can also be fried, but the eating experience does not compare to the small ones. The larger varieties are best cooked with coconut milk (ginataan) or with vinegar (escabeche). I don’t like the idea of manually removing the fish bones from the meat while eating. This scenario is more complicated with smaller fish; this was the reason why I always use medium to large galunggong when cooking ginataan: it is easier to remove the fish bones because it can easily be seen or felt. This recipe is easy to follow. In fact, you only need to place the ingredients into the cooking pot (I used a wide dutch oven) alternately and wait for everything to cook. Adding Serrano pepper makes this dish spicy; you can reduce the spice by altering the number of peppers that you will use.