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Kinilaw is an indigenous Filipino dish of incredible freshness, usually (but not always) featuring morsels of raw seafood quickly bathed in native vinegar, citrus, or both, and then garnished with any number of sinus-clearing, palate-awakening aromatics and spices including ginger, onions, and chilies.
Although Kinilaw can be served with the fish already dressed in the aforementioned fixings, I’ve come to prefer preparing the fish with minimal ingredients, and leaving the rest up to my guests with a vinegar dipping sauce and calamansi limes on the side. Kinilaw customization is king.
Serves 2-4
Kinilaw na Isda (Photo courtesy of Chef Marvin Gapultos)
Ingredients
1 lb. (500 g) sashimi-grade fish such as yellowtail, cut into 1-in (1.25 cm) cubes
One 1-in (1.25 cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled and
grated
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 small lemon, sliced very thin
1 lime, sliced very thin
Coarse sea salt,
to taste
1 green onion (scallion) sliced very thin
Calamansi limes, cut in half
2-3 Thai chili peppers, thinly sliced (optional)
Procedure
In a large bowl, gently toss together the fish, ginger, lemon zest, and lime zest. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Arrange the lemon and lime slices in a single layer on a cutting board or serving dish. Pile the prepared fish cubes on top of the lemon and lime slices. Season the fish with salt, and garnish with green onions.
Serve the fish with cocktail picks, along with calamansi limes for squeezing and All-Purpose Vinegar Dip for dipping. You can also serve the sliced chili peppers on the side, or add them to the vinegar dip if you prefer the dip to be spicy.
Uminom
- Just like with the Oyster Kinilaw on this same cookbook, a tart Gueuze goes fantastically well with this Fish Kinilaw. Whether squeezing calamansi onto the fish, dipping in vinegar, or both, the bright acidity of the Gueuze will provide a great match.
- For something more approachable, imagine yourself at the beach and think Mexican-style lagers, or perhaps more appropriately, Filipino-style lagers.
Cook's Note
Because freshness is key to any Kinilaw, use whatever sashimi-grade fish is local to you.
Recipe is from the cookbook Pulutan! Filipino Bar Bites, Appetizers and Street Eats by Marvin Gapultos (Tuttle Publishing).
Marvin Gapultos is the author of the celebrated food blog, Burnt Lumpia (www.burntlumpiablog.com), and was the founder of Los Angeles’ first gourmet Filipino food truck, The Manila Machine. His first cookbook entitled, "The Adobo Road Cookbook: A Filipino Food Journey--From Food Blog, to Food Truck, and Beyond" is available for sale at Barnes and Noble bookstores, as well as from Amazon. Check out his Amazon site: http://amzn.to/TGDEAP