Hi London, welcome here. I just love Kinilaw.Originally Posted by LondonHM
For me it's a wonderful appetiser that is perfect with an ice cold beer.
It also reminds me very much of a previous wonderful life Japan
I have made Kinilaw with Cornish Mackerel and it's great, I know you could use other fish as well but I have no experience.
It's very quick and very easy to prepare, but, for me it's a must to always use 'sashimi quality' fish. This generally means ordering online unless your one of the very lucky people who have a traditional and fabulous fishmonger in your area. If you are, then take advantage of it while you can.
For online orders just be sure that you're around for the delivery.
Personally, I have no idea if supermarket fish will really be good enough, and I don't want to try. The textures and the flavour of the fish I get online has to be experienced to be believed.
Kinilaw demands the best and the freshest fish you can get.
I also use shallots instead of onions because I find they are much more aromatic and their flavour both sweeter and milder and much more suited for Kinilaw.
Another benefit is that there is less of an aftertaste. But that's just a personal choice. Ordinary onions could be used just as well.
The preparation is not difficult at all, just needs care and attention to detail.
Here's my tried and fully tested 'recipe' over many years.
Ingredients :
Yellow Fin Tuna (sashimi quality - Cubed)
Garlic (peeled, crushed and very coarsely chopped)
Red Shallots (thinly sliced) (use white if red unavailable)
Chilli peppers (prepared to your taste, I prefer thick slices)
1 red bell pepper (diced)
1 green bell pepper (diced)
Ginger (finely chopped)
Secret Ingredient (finely sliced sushi ginger - Japanese sashimi inspired to lift the dish to a higher level)
Cucumber (sliced)
Tomatoes (sliced)
Calamansi juice (or 3 lemons juiced)
1 lemon (quartered and thinly sliced)
Vinegar
salt and cayenne pepper
'Cooking' procedure :
Quickly Wash the cubed tuna in a bowl of fresh water. Drain the water and discard.
Pour in vinegar to cover and quickly wash the tuna. Drain the vinegar and discard
Sprinkle with salt and cayenne pepper.
Pour in vinegar (diluted 1:1 with water) to cover and mix well. Leave to 'cook' for about 1-2 hours
Care should be taken with this timing as ideally the fish should not be totally 'cooked through', but should be more like medium-rare steak. Still a bit translucent and pinkish inside.
Drain the fish again.
Add the Calamansi juice, garlic, shallots, chilli peppers, red and green bell peppers, ginger and sushi ginger,cucumber and tomatoes.
Mix well and chill for MAX 20 minutes. Taste the sauce every now and make any adjustments to get it just right.
Add some slices of lemon on top When ready to serve.
Prepare a pitcher of ice cold beer.
Or if you prefer how about some chilled White Zinfandel wine. I like Blossom Hill or Fetzer, both available from Waitrose.
Share and enjoy!
