She Strengthens

Sour Flavors Take Center Stage in Filipino Cuisine

Filipino cuisine is renowned for its bold use of sour flavors, which add a spark to dishes and balance out rich, fatty meats and intense fishy flavors. One quintessential sour dish is sinigang, a seafood soup that typically relies on tamarind pulp for its tartness. However, in this recipe, calamansi or lime juice takes center stage.

A Unique Twist on a Classic Recipe

This sinigang recipe comes from Marvin Gapultos, the creator of the Burnt Lumpia blog. What sets this version apart is the addition of salmon and miso, which may have been introduced to the Philippines during World War II, when Japan occupied the country. The use of salmon, in particular, is an interesting twist, potentially tracing back to Filipino workers in Alaska’s canneries in the early 20th century.

Key Ingredients

To make this recipe, you’ll need to track down a few key ingredients, including calamansi, a smaller, milder cousin of the lime, and miso, a Japanese culinary staple made from fermented rice, barley, or soy. You can find miso paste refrigerated at most grocery stores.

Game Plan

Before you begin, make sure to prepare steamed rice, which will serve as the base for your sinigang. This recipe yields 4 to 6 servings and has an easy difficulty level, requiring about 1 hour of total cooking time.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 small red onion, medium dice
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 2 medium Roma tomatoes, cored and medium dice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 4 cups water
• 8 ounces daikon radish, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed calamansi or lime juice (from about 2 medium limes or 2 large calamansi), plus more as needed
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons white miso
• 1 pound salmon, skin and pin bones removed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup packed, coarsely chopped Asian mustard greens, such as mizuna
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Steamed white rice, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering.
2. Add the onion, garlic, and measured salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 to 8 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Increase the heat to medium high, add the wine, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the wine is reduced by about half, about 7 minutes.
6. Add the water, daikon, measured calamansi or lime juice, and fish sauce, and stir to combine.
7. Return to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover with a tightfitting lid, and simmer until the daikon starts to soften, about 10 minutes.
8. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the liquid into a small bowl, add the miso, and stir until completely dissolved.
9. Add the miso mixture back to the pot and stir to combine.
10. Increase the heat to medium, add the salmon and greens, and stir to combine.
11. Simmer until the salmon is just cooked through and the greens have softened, about 3 minutes.
12. Taste and season with additional salt and calamansi or lime juice as needed.
13. Ladle into bowls, season with pepper, and serve with steamed rice.