Pesang Salmon - Filipino Fish Stew in Ginger Broth

Pesang Salmon is a Filipino fish stew simmered in clear, ginger-flavored broth and combined with vegetables in season. This is an ideal all-in-one meal that cooks fast stove-top and can be served all year round for family dinners. Aside from salmon, you can use other types of fish - in fillets or whole. This is an Asian in America recipe.

Course: Dinner, Fish, Lunch, Main Course, Seafood, Side Dish, Soup

Cuisine: American, Asian, Filipino

Keyword: Filipino Pesang Salmon Fish Stew

Servings: people

Calories: 224kcal

Author: Asian in America recipe

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon lemon or calamansi juice
1 pound salmon fillet
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 whole white or yellow onion chopped
2 whole garlic cloves chopped
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 whole fresh tomatoes
2 Tablespoons patis (fish sauce)
6 cups hugas bigas (rice wash water) or use vegetable broth
2 whole potatoes peeled, quartered
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups fresh baby spinach
steamed rice for serving

Instructions

Marinate the fish with the lemon or calamansi juice. Pierce the fish all over so juice penetrates. Cover and keep refrigerated for 15 minutes before cooking.
In a large stockpot, over medium high heat, add the vegetable oil.
Saute the onions, garlic, and ginger. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 to 3 minutes till soft.
Pour the patis (fish sauce). Add the salmon fillet and potatoes.
Pour the hugas bigas (rice wash water) or else the vegetable broth. Season with salt and black pepper.
Cover and let the broth boil. When broth boils, lower the heat to a medium simmer. Cook for 20 minutes till fish is done.
Add the spinach. Stir and combine with ingredients. After the spinach wilts and softens in 1 minute, turn off heat.
Serve warm with steamed rice.

Cook's comments:

Hugas bigas or rice wash water is often used in Filipino stews for flavorful broths. To obtain, wash the rice grains before cooking. Collect the second rice washing by placing rice grains in a sieve or collander. Pour the rice wash to soup broths.
This recipe works well with other types of fish like tilapia, pompano, dalag (mudfish), catfish. You can use fillets or a whole fish. When purchasing fish, ask the fish monger to fillet the fish or if using a whole, to clean and gut the fish for you. This is a free service which I often use.

Nutrition