A bowl of comforting sinigang is transformed with slabs of fresh yellowfin tuna loin...
The vibrant and refreshing tartness and sour notes of this traditional Filipino soup never fails to tickle the palate. The local sinigang is usually made with pork, fish and shrimp along with a variety of fresh vegetables, simmered in a sour broth infused with tamarind. During the quarantine, we made a pot with the remaining slab of premium sashimi-grade yellowfin tuna loin for an indulgent spin on the local favorite.
After consuming nearly a kilogram of sustainable, traceable and line-caught tuna sashimi from The Sustainable Grocer Online Shop the night before, I stored roughly a third of the remaining thick slab in the chiller (do not place your tuna loin in the freezer). Upon the recommendation of The Sustainable Grocer, the slab of chilled yellowfin tuna loin can be stored for up to two days only (for more on premium sashimi-grade yellowfin tuna loin delivered straight to your home by The Sustainable Grocer Online Shop, see my post here at Sashimi at Home During the Quarantine? The Sustainable Grocer Makes It Easy...). To ensure the freshness of the remaining slab, I sliced the loin into thick slabs and got the pot ready. It's time for sinigang...
A visit by the local QC Market on Wheels provided the other fresh ingredients for the dish, including kangkong (water spinach), sitaw (green beans), eggplant, okra, radish and long green peppers. In one pot, garlic, onions and tomatoes were lightly sauteed followed by the chunks of tuna for a delicate sear. In another pot filled with around 6-8 cups of water, a sachet of Sinigang sa Sampaloc mix is added. After a few minutes, simply pour the boiling pot seasoned with the sour tamarind mix to the tuna. Add more fresh tomatoes to the pot for that fresh burst of tartness. Then add the vegetables and allow to simmer for just a few more minutes. Add a drizzle of fish sauce to complete the dish.
Once you open the lid, the fragrant aroma of tamarind seasoning, fresh vegetables and premium tuna triggers your appetite, and it's time to serve. Like many traditional Filipino dishes, the use of various ingredients is a heartfelt and welcome sign of abundance more so in these trying times as the threat of the viral pandemic continues to linger.
But it's the yellowfin tuna loin that that adds a flavorful punch to this simple yet sumptuous dish. The soft yet firm texture of the slabs of tuna absorbs the tart seasonings of the tamarind base complementing its clean and briny sweetness. There are as many ways to prepare sinigang as there are islands in the vast Philippine archipelago with many households boasting their own cherished family recipes. But using the remaining slab of sustainable, traceable and line-caught yellowfin tuna loin chunks in a familiar dish somehow transforms the local favorite with an indulgent and flavorful twist. The slabs of tuna didn't even fall apart, guaranteeing a meaty bite. The quarantine may have changed the way we do things, but it also allowed us to rediscover fresh and local produce. Go ahead and have another bowl...
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