Comments on: Three Ways with Danggit — Version 2: Labtingaw

By: Anthony

Anthony — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 10:25:55 +0000

hi may i know where is this place where we can see danggit being dried? thanks..

By: Marketman

Marketman — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 04:24:55 +0000

millet, you are right, if homemade, typically sea water used. But if being processed slightly inland as these are, they made a salty brine in a balde….

By: millet

millet — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 03:24:27 +0000

MM, i think traditionally, the fish are cleaned, dipped briefly in sea water and set out to dry, and so that means the only salt the labtingaw gets is from the seawater. i don’t know about the current methods of doing this, though. in iloilo, they have gumaa, which was a personal favorite until the day i found a huge maggot inside one.

By: Marketman

Marketman — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 08:38:18 +0000

Risa, actually, I think certain species, like danggit are far more plentiful at certain times of the year. In general, I suspect all varieties of fish are scarcer than they were before. In Cebu, for example, not too many years ago, at the source, buwad na danggit was say PHP450-500 per kilo AT THE SOURCE for true boneless daing (not the split open one with bones that are often sold in the city/stores), today it is approaching PHP600-700 when you can get it. By the time it is packed, transported to Cebu, repacked and sold at retail, the price can jump to say double that at a grocery or airport stall. In Manila, recently, at a mall, I saw boneless danggit for upwards of PHP1,400-1,500 per kilo (though presented as PHP140 for a 90-100 gram or so pack). Considering that it takes between 5-6 kilos of fresh danggit, a whole lot of cleaning and drying to make 1 kilo of dried danggit, the price actually seems rather reasonable to me… Looked at from another perspective, some 50 grams of daing na danggit would make a fantastic breakfast, and even at Makati prices, that would cost roughly PHP70 only, a total bargain if you ask me. :)

By: Risa

Risa — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 08:17:15 +0000

Hi MM,

Have the fishermen remarked on the availability of this fish in their fishing grounds? I think that has become a sad commentary on seas and that fisherman have had to go further out to catch fish.

If this has not been affected, it would be interesting to know what circumstances made it different.

By: Natie

Natie — Tue, 11 Mar 2014 05:46:26 +0000

I love them all!, MM! This is best because it came fresh from source. We get ours from Estancia or Roxas, Iloilo.. Deep fried!