So The Fish Wouldn’t Be Alone: A Quiet Dinner That Ended Up Feeling Like Home

 

We only eat a few fish varieties, and they’re mostly fried so that I wouldn’t react to them. 

One of our favorites is salay ginto (yellowstripe scad or trevally). The only way I prepare it is fried. 

Here, it’s not uncommon to serve the fish whole. I know that in some cultures, fish should be filleted before serving. 

But here, if the bones and head are crispy enough, we eat those too. 

Fried salay ginto (ginto means gold in our language) goes great with rice and a soupy dish like sinigang. I just love eating fried seafood with sinigang. The sourness cuts the oiliness of the fish. 

By the way, I introduced this fish to my friend, who has been living in the US for several years now, and she told me that she was so happy when she found this fish there! She really loves the taste, too! 

I digress. 

That night, this fish was scheduled for dinner. However, it looked too sad on its own. But I also didn’t want to cook another dish. 

Frying is very taxing to my heat-sensitive system. So, I raided the fridge and found some leftover lechon kawali. I reheated that in the oven.

I also found a green mango that needed to be eaten fast so I peeled it and chopped it up and served it with bagoong. 

At the beginning of my food preparation, I commented, “kawawa naman yung fish, mag-isa lang.” (Oh, the of poor fish, all alone.)

But in the end, it turned out to be a classic Filipino meal - humble, hearty, home. 

 

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’Til our next shared bite,

Stay cozy. Stay curious. Stay nourished.

LET'S EAT.

With grace, warmth, and a full heart,

Lady E

Exhibitor and Speaker at the Philippine Book Festival 2026 

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