As a traveler, I always take the time to learn a country’s local cuisine; hence the reason why recipe posts like this exist on this travel blog — besides, food is a part of travel after all! And for today, I am introducing you to a dish that is from my home country, the Philippines, and it’s called kilawin or kinilaw. (Kinilaw Recipe)
» TRIVIA: The terms kilawin and kinilaw are used interchangeably — but to be more precise, the former (kilawin) is used to refer to a kinilaw-style dish in which the ‘meat’ has already been blanched or lightly cooked by heat or grill, whereas the latter (kinilaw) is the kind of dish that makes use of raw meat or ingredients like fish.
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For the sake of uniformity, I will use the term kinilaw for the rest of this post.
Kinilaw is considered an appetizer much like Latin America’s ceviche or seviche (you can think of it as the Filipino version of ceviche). In fact, there are a lot of ceviche variants from all over the world but this version from the Philippines is something that you must try.
Though most would think of this dish as an appetizer, for Filipinos it is more commonly used as a side dish during beer-drinking sessions, referred to as “pulutan“. Its preparation is different too! After all, if most ceviche recipes are normally soaked in citrus juices, kinilaw is rather soaked in vinegar.
Rest assured, both of these processes will ‘cook‘ the seafood because the acid will change its protein structure. If you ask me, it’s actually an amazing transformation when you see the fish change from translucent pink to opaque white! Additionally, I like the Filipino “kinilaw na isda” better than ceviche since it takes away more of the ‘fishiness’.
But YES — the best part about this kinilaw recipe is that it is so EASY to prepare and it doesn’t involve cooking at all! There is really no need to put up a fire, and any cooking-challenged individual won’t have a hard time perfecting this dish either.
Some additional tips to ensure that you make the best kinilaw is to ensure that you acquire FRESH fish. It’s also important that you maintain a good ratio between the vinegar and the fresh fish; but no worries because the kinilaw recipe that I have below will give you that perfect ratio. Enjoy!
Ingredients
» Kinilaw
- 500 grams fresh yellowfin tuna fillet, cut into cubes (see *Note 1)
- 3/4 cup vinegar (for washing)
- 1/3 cup vinegar (or spiced vinegar if you have one)
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons of ginger, sliced into fine strips or small cubes
- 4 tablespoons of Filipino calamansi (you can also use lime or lemon as a substitute)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
» Garnishes
- 3 pieces Thai chili or bird’s eye chili, chopped (optional)
- 1 tablespoon of sugar (optional)
- 1 tomato, diced (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare all of the ingredients.
- Get a bowl and combine the cubed fish and the 3/4 cup vinegar. Mix them well and let them stand for 2 minutes. Afterward, drain the vinegar while slightly squeezing out the fish cubes.
— This ‘washing’ procedure will help reduce the fishy smell. - Now, combine all the remaining ingredients. Gently toss until all are well blended.
- Cover and place inside the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
— It’s fine even if you chill it for more time, but too much might ‘overcook’ the fish. The maximum time I would say is 3 hours! - Serve chilled. Share and enjoy with a pairing of beer!
Notes
*Note 1: It’s best to use labahita or Japan Surgeonfish, but yellowfin tuna should work well. Otherwise, you can also use deboned bangus (milkfish) or tanigue (Spanish mackerel).
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 348Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 639mgCarbohydrates: 15gNet Carbohydrates: 8gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 46g
The nutritional values indicated are merely an estimate for the specified serving yield.
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Overall
I hope this kinilaw recipe helped you whip up an amazing appetizer or pulutan!
Let me know in the comments below.
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