"Monroe, of course..." > wrote in message
...
>
> OK-I got the nerve to buy this jar of fermented baby rabbitfish, open
> it and have a taste. The definition of Bagoong (being a paste) is
> totally off here-the fish survived pretty much intact. Most bagoong is
> gloppy, like the shrimp alamang with the little shrimp eyes floating in
> it....
> The patis (liquid part) is like a mild nouc mam-milder than even the
> Thai brands. The fish themselves are crunchy-headed but pretty soft
> otherwise. Less strong than the dried anchovies that are sold by the
> bag.
> To contrast, I've ran screaming from opened jars of mudfish
> prahoc-which I quad-baggied and took to the dumpster. Whew!
> Cookbook after cookbook (and subsequent Google searches) give bagoong
> containing recipes that call for a tablespoon smeared onto green
> mangoes or blopped into a pork stirfry (or serve it straight up with
> rice)-but this seems inappropros for this more delicate product.


Why does straight up with rice seem inappropriate to you? Indeed, the fact
that it is delicate seems to suggest that it should be served whole, maybe
fried a bit beforehand. So, cook up some rice, adobo or longanizas, and a
veggie dish, and eat the bagoong as a side dish. I'm not sure what type of
recipe you are looking for--bagoong padas casserole with melted cheese on
top?

Peter

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