Linagpang

The fish is grilled first and then torn into the broth, so the soup tastes of smoke.

Fish. Not vegetarian — contains fish, fish sauce.

Ingredients

• 800 g fish, whole or in large pieces
• 1.2 litres water
• 1 large thumb ginger, in matchsticks
• 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
• 2 onions, sliced
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• 30 ml fish sauce
• 2 siling labuyo, crushed
• 1 teaspoon salt, for the fish

Method

1. THE FISH IS GRILLED BEFORE IT IS EVER WET, and that is the dish. Every other fish soup here starts with raw fish in liquid; this one starts with char, and the broth tastes of it.
2. Salt the fish and grill it over coals or under a very hot grill until the skin blisters and blackens in patches, about 6 minutes a side. You want it actually charred, not golden.
3. Bring the water to a boil with the ginger, lemongrass and onion and simmer 10 minutes.
4. TEAR THE GRILLED FISH INTO THE POT by hand, skin and all, in big pieces. The blackened skin is where the smoke is, so it goes in rather than being peeled off.
5. Simmer 5 minutes only -- the fish is cooked already.
6. Fish sauce, crushed chilli and spring onion off the heat. It should be thin, hot and smoky, not thick.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Philippines · All recipes