A whiff of heaven

Hmmm… with my eyes closed I take a whiff and I smile. It smells heavenly! I just could not resist and dipped my finger in the white saucer that contained the edible creamy paste with a lightly brown tint and exclaimed, “Yes... it tastes heavenly as well!” Surely, this is what heaven must taste like because it was so good I could almost hear the angels and saints sing in four-part harmony! It is one of the well-loved ingredients of Philippine cuisine, especially in the Ilocos region.

My new found friends in Ilocos Sur chuckled with amusement mixed with pride as I savored one of their specialties, monamon bagoong, for the first time: a fermented fish paste made from anchovies or dilis. It was served as a dip for the different seafood dishes as well as a main viand for the breakfast I was treated to by the sea at the coastal town of Caoyan last month.

No wonder Ilocanos generally have a bright disposition regardless of whatever state they are in, come rain or shine. I would, too, if I had stocks of bottled bagoong in the household and not that of the pinkish alamang variety. This condiment knows no season. It is a year-round Ilocano staple, crossing all economic borders, whether it’s the governor, the society matron or the simple sugarcane farmer. It is normally savored as a side dish or called KBL which stands for kamatis (tomato), bagoong (fish sauce) and lasona (young purple onions or shallots) to accompany the crunchy, succulent pork delicacy, bagnet (talk about lethal combinations) or other fried dishes and is an integral ingredient to local vegetable dishes such as pinakbet, dinengdeng or inabraw.

If a tourist swears to having been “Bagnet-ized,” as emblazoned on the promotional shirts sold at the Vigan Heritage Site, I have been “Bagoong-ized.” I am a born-again bagoong fan. My faith in this native sawsawan has been renewed or strengthened. Since then I have tried different Ilocano varieties. My other favorite is ipon (Goby fish) bagoong. Ipon is the most distinctive of all the species that fishermen catch in the waters of Santa, Ilocos Sur. It only thrives during rainy season and tastes heavenly when preserved as bagoong. I have yet to try bagoong made from padas (Ziganid fish), which are little flat fish said to be abundant in Santiago, a coastal town of Ilocos Sur.

With my newfound interest, I have become a bagoong freak, just like any other Ilocano who would turn almost any edible fish into bagoong. On my first attempt to make bagoong, I turned to the expertise of Nick Rodriguez, chef and owner of Bistro Candon, for advice. Here are some of his helpful tips on how to make your own bagoong:

1. The fish must be very fresh to develop a pleasant, fragrant aroma and taste. As soon as it is caught the fish must be rinsed and drained with seawater and not fresh water. Otherwise, it will develop a foul smell.

2. The amount of salt to be added must be 30 percent of the total weight of the fish. Mix the salt after you have washed and drained it. This is placed in a burnay or earthen jar (even a plastic container will do). Cover and let stand for three days.

3. After three days, remove the cover and mix the mixture with a long wooden spoon to evenly distribute the salt into the fish. By this time fermentation has taken place. Return the cover and keep the container in a sunny location for 3-4 months. From time to time, i.e. every two weeks, uncover the mix and air it out and to let the fish be exposed to direct sun which helps digest the fish and turns it into a liquid. This periodic sunning will produce bagoong of superior quality, giving it a fragrant aroma and a clear, reddish brown color.

4. After enough months have passed, the liquid is removed from the jars or containers, preferably with a spigot on the bottom of the jar so that it passes through the layers of fish remains or you may also do this by siphoning. Filter the sauce. Transfer to a clean container. Allow to air out for a couple of weeks to dissipate the strong fish odor. It is now ready for bottling.

I was inspired by Nick’s tips on how to make bagoong. I was lucky to find freshly caught anchovies or dilis in the beach front of Cabugao Beach Resort. I immediately bought eight kilos of dilis and 2.4 kilos  of sea salt to make my own bagoong. I followed Chef Nick’s formula and tips. And how did it turn out? Only time will tell; my experiment is now on its second week of fermentation. It’s in a container located miles away from me and all I can do is to check on it every now and then and give instruction to Fernando, the manager of Cabugao Beach Resort, to do the mixing for me. So far he said that it seems successful. Furthermore, I’m not sure that my daughters would be as enthusiastic as I am, especially if they smell it aging in our kitchen! I can just see their faces: eyebrows raised, noses crinkled as they both exclaim in disgust, “Ewww!”

But guess what? A recent study shows that bagoong contains the beneficial Omega-3 fatty acids needed to keep the heart healthy. It lowers triglycerides and increases HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol). Omega-3 fatty acids may also act as an anticoagulant to prevent blood from clotting and may help lower high blood pressure. That is certainly good news. So here’s to bagoong: it is happiness bottled in a jar. Open one in times of sorrow, take a whiff of its glorious fishy scent, and next thing you’ll be scooping on a mound of steaming white rice, and be off on a food trip that will shake your blues away!

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You may e-mail the author at info @henysison.com.