Ginisang Gourmet Tuyo at Kamatis
Almusal: The Morning Silog & Weekend Breakfasts
Frying whole dried herring in an American suburb in the dead of winter is olfactory warfare. But to those who know, that pungent scent of tuyo means Saturday morning, family, and a towering plate of garlic rice. To capture that deeply savory magic without making the winter coats smell like the ocean for a week, you use bottled gourmet tuyo. Extracted straight from its jar of spiced oil, the fillets are folded into a jammy, intensely umami tomato reduction that relies on one grandmotherly trick: vigorously mashing the tomatoes into the fat until they collapse. It is fast, brilliant, and tastes exactly like home.
Ingredients
- spicy or regular gourmet tuyo8 oz
- garlic cloves3 med
- red onion1 small
- cherry tomatoes1 1/2 cup
- white or brown sugar1/2 tsp
- black pepper1/4 tsp
- eggs2 large
- scallions2 med
Method
- 01
Harvest the infused oil from the jar.
Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the spiced oil sitting at the top of the gourmet tuyo jar into a medium skillet over medium heat. Do not use regular cooking oil; this infused fat is liquid gold and forms the flavor foundation of the dish.
- 02
Sauté the aromatics.
Once the oil is shimmering, add the sliced garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds until incredibly fragrant—taking care not to let it turn brown or bitter—then add the red onion and cook until translucent and soft.
- 03
Crush the tomatoes into a jam.
Add the halved cherry tomatoes to the pan and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. The secret here is mechanical: use the back of a wooden spoon or spatula to actively smash the tomatoes against the pan. You want their cellular walls to collapse, emulsifying with the spiced oil into a thick, glossy, rustic sauce.
- 04
Balance the sauce with sugar and pepper.
Stir in the sugar and a few heavy grinds of black pepper. The preserved fish provides aggressive salinity, so the sugar is crucial to balance the acidity of the tomatoes and the brine of the herring.
- 05
Fold in the tuyo fillets.
Take 6 to 8 of the reserved tuyo fillets from the jar. Flake them slightly or leave them whole, then fold them gently into the tomato mixture. Let it simmer for just 1 minute to warm the fish through so it absorbs the sauce.
- 06
Poach the eggs directly in the skillet.
Push the tomato-fish mixture to the edges of the pan, creating two bare wells in the center. Crack the eggs into the wells, cover the skillet with a lid, and let it steam for 2 to 3 minutes until the whites are set but the yolks are still beautifully runny.
- 07
Garnish and serve immediately.
Scatter the chopped scallions over the top. Serve straight from the pan over a massive mound of hot rice, breaking the yolk so it runs into the salty, tangy tomato sauce.
From Cook Filipino in America.