Jan 31 2011
Craving for Dried Fish?
We just had our lively family bonding together with our fellow church members last Sunday where each family will bring their own food. I usually cook fried fish because my hubby is always craving for this viand specially when we held our family day at the beach. This time, we spent our bonding at the river. It was such a nice and enjoyable experience for all of us.
“buwad or bulad” (for Visayans), like many other provincial residents, love their dried fish. Millions and millions of fish are harvested, split open and de-gutted, liberally sprinkled with salt and left out to dry in the hot sun. These fish are laid on screens so that the process of air and sun drying can occur faster. The salt is necessary to prevent deadly bacteria from forming on the surface of the fish. Once the fish are dry enough, they can be stored for months without risk of deterioration.The dried fish are then stacked on baskets and can be packaged up in plastic and heat sealed if you so desire. It usually costs around PHP120-400 per kilo depending on the type of fish.
This one is a “Tamban” dried fish. It is best paired with a sawsawan (dip) of spicy vinegar with a large plate of steaming rice. This is the ultimate comfort food that I consider and there is nothing anywhere in the world that comes close to it.
