If you’re planning to visit the Queen City of the South this is one heck of a delicacy that you should not miss. This is like a baptism of Fire, Water and Flesh; Fire (Burning charcoal for the Sinugba), Water (Hot tasty simmering soup of Tinuwa) and Flesh (Fresh fish meat for kinilaw). Cebu is known for its ocean bounty and the main source of livelihood for its many folks especially those from Bantayan and Mactan slands. This makes the local populace so attached to these marine resources.
There are no secret ingredients behind SUTUKIL. It’s the different way of preparing or cooking fish.
Sinugba is a local term for grilling over hot embers. Prepare the fish by washing it to remove the slime. Remove the guts by making a tiny slit horizontally on the bellywith. Remove the gills and scales if necessary. Wash the fish under a running water to remove the blood and other debris. Clean the empty belly thoroughly. When done, stuff the belly with a mixture of leeks, green or red tomatoes, red onion, some salt, and a tad of msg. Place the fish on a gridiron over very hot embers. When already cooked, prepare a dipping sauce (sawsawan) of lime (lemonsito) juice, vinegar, soy sauce, red onions and tomatoes. If you don’t have a problem with hemorrhoids (almoranas bah!) add red hot chile pepper (siling kolikot) to make the meal more exciting! Oh, I start to drool now.
Tuwa or tinuwa is what I always wanted especially during rainy days for its soothing effect that seems to penetrate down to the bones. It is quite relaxing to sip the simmering soup especially when taken along with a hot plate of boiled corn grits. Cebuanos usually love to have corn instead of rice and lots of simmering soup in every meal. Higop sabaw is the proverbial expression among us when we want scalding-hot soup from meat or fish or vegetable stew.
Kilaw or kinilaw in Cebuano means eating raw food, quite literally, accompanied with a handful of spices. Cebuanos have perfected this type of fish preparation so that visitors would hanker for it everytime they come here. Fish should be fresh from the ocean to have a great-tasting kinilaw. Fish should be soaked in ice-cold water while in transit to preserve its freshness. To prepare the kinilaw, debone the fish, remove the guts, head, tail and the fins. Cut the fillet into desired slices and wash it under a running water. Drain the water first before placing it on a bowl. Add ginger, red onions, leeks, and to add more excitement to your palate, season it with red hot chile peppers. Toss it to mix well. Some would add coconut milk for a different exotic flavor. Whew! My mouth is already frothing in anticipation!
These three are one healthy combination of a meal that you can’t really resist when you’re in Cebu. Bon appetit!
Kaon ta bai!
Postscript:
To those who care for an instant sutokil, go to the Sutokil place (pictured above) in Lapu-Lapu City near Shangri-La Hotel. It is a row of food stalls that specialize in sugba, tuwa, and kilaw, mostly seafoods. The area is just a few steps from the Lapu-Lapu shrine.
