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. :)
- 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
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Pick the flesh of the galunggong, carefully removing small bones, and shred coarsely.
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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.
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Mix together all the ingredients except the cooking oil.
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Heat the cooking oil to smoking point.
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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.
