This classic Filipino dish is best made with fresh caught tuna. Other fish may be used but the key here is to make it with fresh fish. The broth is flavored with lemongrass, ginger, and is made with malunggay leaves. If you can’t find malunggay leaves at your market, substitute baby spinach.
Not only great tasting, it is nutritive as well.
Tinolang Isda
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds fresh tuna cut up in large cubes
- 4 green onions cut into 2 to 3 inch pieces, separate the white and green parts
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 1/2 bell pepper cut into strips
- 1 small knob of fresh ginger cut into thin slices
- 2 stalks lemon grass roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 3 plum tomatoes seeded, and cut into 8 pieces (each quarter cut in half)
- 2 cups mulanggay leaves can substitute spinach
- Salt and Black pepper to taste
Instructions
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Bring the water to a boil, and add in the lemon grass, ginger, yellow onion, bell pepper, and the white parts of the chopped green onions. Add in the fish sauce. Simmer the broth for about 5 minutes. Add in the tomato, salt and pepper to taste, and the tuna. Simmer the broth slowly until the fish is done. Try to do this at a very low simmer so as to not disturb the broth too much. Once the fish is cooked, add in the mulanggay leaves and the green parts of the green onion. Simmer for a few minutes more, just until the leaves have wilted. Remove the ginger and lemon grass before serving. Serve hot.
Recipe Notes
Whatever fresh fish you have on hand may be substituted.