Story has it that when 12-year-old Kris Aquino arrived in the country in 1983 after the murder of her father, she was asked by the media if she ate galunggong and she turned to her mother and asked what galunggong was. Fried galunggong (Mackarel Scad) is considered a poor man’s food but galunggong, although still cheaper than a lot of fish varieties, is not the cheapest in the market. If we consider, however, how much flesh a single fish yields after cooking, it does make sense to consider it a real budget helper. Galunggong is fleshy and very tasty.
Is there, however, no other way to enjoy galunggong except to fry it whole? Yesterday, I did a little experiment. I was thinking Swiss Rosti and ukoy (shrimp fritters) combined — substantial and crispy. The result was crispy galunggong fish cakes.
How was it? Think of shoestring potatoes with fish and herbs. Delicious. :)
Crispy Galunggong (Mackarel Scad) Fish Cakes
Print PinIngredients
- 500 grams galunggong about three pieces (boiled, broiled or grilled)
- 400 grams potatoes peeled and coarsely shredded (The sizes of blades and holes of graters vary. Use a grater with the largest blade and holes.)
- 1/2 head half a head of garlic finely minced
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 bell pepper finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped onion leaves
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped Vietnamese cilantro
- 3 eggs beaten
- 1 to 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups cooking oil for deep-frying
Instructions
- Pick the flesh of the galunggong, carefully removing small bones, and shred coarsely.
- Add 1/2 tsp. of salt to the shredded potatoes, mix then squeeze out the excess water. Squeezing out the water ensures crispiness of the fried fish cakes. If you do not squeeze out the water, the fish cakes will turn soggy within a few minutes after cooking.
- Mix together all the ingredients except the cooking oil.
- Heat the cooking oil to smoking point.
- Form the mixture into patties. This can be tricky since the ingredients don't really stick together well. I suggest you form a patty with your hands, invert it onto a spatula then slide it carefully into the hot oil. Fry the patties in batches of three or four until golden. Flip over halfway through cooking to ensure uniform color and crispness. Drain on paper towels and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Read 
Buko (coconut) pandan dessert
I love how crispy these fish cakes look. I love galunggong and it’s been a long time since I had them. It’s probably going to be hard for me to opt not for the fried galunggong (with some patis and lemon), but these crispy fish cakes will give the fried fish a run for its money.
I miss fresh galunggong! I’ve tasted alot of fish found here(US) and none of them tastes as good as galunggong. The nearest fish that comes close is the Blue fish. I’ll definitely try your recipe during fishing season. Thanks for the recipe Ate Connie.
i’m not a fan of galunggong because i find something off about it. i can’t point out exactly what, but there’s a peculiar (at least for me) taste in it.
i’ll give your recipe a try next week (tapos na kasi mamalengke for this week :D) and see if i can enjoy this fish. as it is cooked twice and with additions, the medley of flavors might do the trick for me.
thanks ms. connie!
thanks for another creative idea..
was this crunchy?
did you use dipping sauce like vinegar,etc?
[eatingclub] vancouver || js, when my husband first saw the fish cakes, he said, “What have you done to my fried galunggong?” LOL But I never heard him complain the moment he started eating them.
Tina, I think fish exporters are missing an opportunity if they’re not exporting galunggong yet. Filipinos all over the world must be craving for galunggong!
Misao, if you rub the fish with ginger prior to broiling or boiling or grilling — or, better, yet, make slashes and insert slivers of ginger in the flesh — the strong smell and fishy taste (lansa) will be reduced considerably.
Emy, very very crunchy. The potatoes… parang Piknik. :razz:
I miss galunggong! Wala naman akong makitang galunggong dito! Life is not fair hahahahahaha!!! Oh well malapit na kaming umuwi ng pinas and I will try this recipe.
i will definitely try this one.
Connie,
I found galunggong here in Korea. It’s very expensive – $8 dollars for 10 small fish. I plan to make this recipe soon since my youngest one loves hashbrown and loves fish too. Too bad my American hubby doesn’t eat any kind of seafood at all. That’s why I’ll have to fix this when hubby is not at home and he can’t smell the fish being cooked. :)
I’ll give you my report (and pics) after I’ve tried out the recipe.
Thanks for the tip!
Doddie
Ms. Connie,
I cooked this one yesterday. This used to be a filling for my fish lumpia.
We ran out of potatoes so I added some grated squash. When I boiled the galunggong, I seasoned it already, and added some vinegar and ginger , as I usually do with my fish lumpia filling.
I loved how the fish tasted with the wansuy, onion leaves and ginger. Our new househelp (who is so into cooking), observed and complimented it. Sayang, hubby was not there and my daughter won’t eat fish.
thanks for a great idea. nakakasawa na ang fried gg.
we love galunggong! but in cebu we call it budburon. my hubby and i tried this recipe for lunch today. and it was really good. thanks for the idea.
I am here in Houston, and they have galunggong here, both in Filipino Stores and Asian (vietnamese) supermarket. Sa Pinoy – frozen ko nabibili, so ako ang nag-lilinis; dun naman sa vietnamese – thaw na ang naka-display and they clean it for you and cut to your order. Ako lagi kong pina-ha-hati sa gitna, and the mexican fish mongers knows it, they’ll ask you, “daing” (butterfly). Medio maha, almost $1.00 each and its tag as Manila Mackerel.
Thanks for this recipe, will sure try it this weekend.
Galunggong isn’t so cheap here either despite being tagged as poor man’s fish.