Filipino Mussel Soup (Tahong ng Sabaw) Recipe

Serves/Makes: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh tahong (mussels), cleaned
• 1 medium or 1/2 large sweet onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 thumb sized ginger, finely sliced
• 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped into chunks
• 1 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2-3 tablespoons patis (fish sauce), add more if you want in the end
• 6-7 cups water (just enough to cover, less water => stronger flavor)
• 3 big handfuls of fresh spinach
• Steamed jasmine rice

How to cook:

• Heat the oil in a medium, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger, and saute until the onion is translucent and they’re fragrant.
• Add the chopped tomatoes, and saute until the tomatoes begin to soften, about 2 minutes.
• Add half the water and fish sauce and heat to a boil. Add the mussels and the remaining water, just enough to barely cover!
• Cook till the mussels open over medium high heat. Right when they’re done, toss in the spinach (as much as you want), stir and season with pepper and more fish sauce if you want.
• Take of the heat and serve with a small bowl of steamed jasmine rice and pour the soup onto it and slurp the rice and soup together.

Notes:
The Filipino Mussel Soup (Tahong ng Sabaw) is a very affordable dish. Great tasting food is easy to cook and is also healthy.

Patis – Filipino fish sauce. This amber-colored sauce made from salted and fermented fish is similar to Thailand’s nam pla and Vietnam’s nuoc nam, but saltier than both. Patis is used in cooking or as a condiment.

Hints:
Choose fresh mussels whith shells thightly closed, before cooking.
Slightly opened-up mussel shells can only be eaten if the shells tightly close-up when lightly tapped-on.
An open-up shell means that mussel is dead and therefore can be toxic throw it away.
Mussels will keep, in a large bowl, covered with a damp cloth, for up to 48 hours, refrigerated.

This recipe for Filipino Mussel Soup (Tahong ng Sabaw) serves/makes: 4

Main Ingredient: Mussels
Preparation Method: Soups/Chowders
Cuisine: Filipino