(Anything Leftover) Sisig
In the Kapampangan language, the term sisig refers to snacking on something sour as a salad. Just like adobo, you can sisig everything. I used leftover roasted fish for this recipe, but you can sub about anything you have as the “meat” ingredient.
Ingredients
1-2 cups roasted fish, chopped*
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. citrus juice**
2 tbsp. vinegar
1 small red onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
4 bird’s eye chilis, finely sliced
1 tbsp. ginger, minced
*This is a very approximate measurement. Use whatever amount of leftover meat you have up to 2 lbs. If you have more, start thinking of increasing the recipe.
**You can use any citrus juice you have, but I recommend lime. Traditionally, sisig would be made with calamansi juice, but you don’t have any of that.
1. Heat a cast iron skillet over a medium high flame until it’s smoking.
2. Once the skillet is starting to smoke, add a bit of oil and throw in the chilis, garlic, ginger, and onion. Sauté until the onions are translucent, moving the vegetables frequently to avoid burning.
3. Add the fish and combine well.
4. Pour in the liquid and flatten out the sisig to cover the surface area of the skillet.
5. Do not touch. Allow the sisig to absorb the liquid and start caramelizing on the surface of the skillet. You want some charred, crunchy bits.
6. You’ll figure out the timing on your own, but let’s say after 3-5 minutes, start mixing up the sisig to incorporate the charred bits throughout. Sisig is not a saucy dish so keep cooking if too much liquid remains.
7. Take the sisig off the heat. Just bring the entire skillet to the table and serve over rice!
Notes:
A popular addition to sisig is to crack a raw egg on top while it finishes sizzling.