Salmon Sinigang (Salmon Sour Soup)

This Filipino sinigang recipe is made of salmon, vegetables, and tamarind broth. It's rich, comforting, and so easy to make.

Salmon Sinigang Recipe

Salmon specifically the belly part is one of my favorite fish for sinigang. It's rich, comforting, and packed with healthy oil. Even my kids love it! So our week is never complete without serving this for lunch or dinner.

Salmon Sinigang Ingredients

This sinigang recipe is not much different from other sinigang recipes. It uses similar ingredients with a few additions to make the soup less fishy.

Here's what you need to make it:

• Salmon - for a delicious sinigang use salmon belly, salmon head, and even salmon trimmings. You can also use salmon fillet but I recommend combining it with either of the two for a deeper flavored broth.
• Radish, Ginger, and green chili- the secret to a less fishy soup. Always, always including this trio when making fish or seafood sinigang.
• Fish Sauce - the main salt of sinigang. It's packed with umami flavor.
• Tomatoes - adds color and extra flavor to any sinigang dish.
• Vegetables - okra, sitaw (long green beans), kangkong, sweet potato leaves, eggplant, pakchoi can all be used interchangeably.

How to make Sinigang na Salmon

Here are my top tips on how to make this Filipino fish sour soup:

Prepare the salmon

Buy a pack of salmon that has already been descaled. Wash it thoroughly and remove any slime and impurities. If you're using salmon belly, gently scrub it with salt to remove the slime then rinse. Cut it into medium size pieces so it's easier to serve.

If you happen to find a pack that includes the head and bones of the fish, the better! It will make the best and delicious salmon broth.

Cook the Salmon

There are two ways to cook salmon sinigang–first is the boiling/simmer method and the other is sauté method (ginisa in Filipino). I use these two interchangeably depending on my mood.

Boiling method

Involves boiling the ingredients from beginning to end. This method makes a lighter, clearer yet still flavorful broth. You start by simmering the ginger, onion, radish, and tomatoes to infuse the flavor. Then you add the salmon, fish sauce along with the vegetables like okra and eggplant. Finally, the souring agent and leafy vegetables.

Saute method

This involves sautéing the aromatics and tomatoes at the beginning of the cooking process. This makes a deeper and robust sinigang broth. The next steps is pretty much the same as the the boiling method.

Extra tip for a less fishy sinigang broth

A Thai chef once told me that stirring the fish as soon as it's added to boiling water intensifies the fishy smell. So, DO NOT STIR or be tempted to disturb any of the ingredients as soon as the fish is added to the pot. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes before doing so.

Variation: Sinigang sa Miso

Adding miso or fermented soybean to fish sinigang or any seafood sinigang is a great way of adding more flavor to the soup.

In the Philippines, fresh miso can be bought in almost any local market. If not available, sinigang mix made with powdered miso and tamarind can be used as a substitute.

For those living abroad, you can use Japanese White Miso or any lightly flavored miso paste. To use, add a couple of tablespoons to the pot as the sinigang finishes cooking. Turn off the heat as soon as it's dissolved.

Serve

As with any other sinigang dishes, this deliciousness is best served warm and eaten with rice. Oh, so comforting!

Love Filipino soup? Try these recipes!

• Pork Sinigang
• Tinolang Manok
• Nilagang Manok sa Patis (Chicken Soup with Fish Sauce)
• Misua Soup with Sesame Pork Meatballs
• Minced Beef Sopas-Filipino Macaroni Soup
• Pork Nilaga (Pork Soup with Vegetables)
• Easy Chicken Sinigang with Gabi
• Sinigang na Hipon (seafood sinigang)
• Beef Nilaga Pressure Cooker Recipe (Nilagang Baka)
• Chicken Tinola with Patola

Watch the video on how to make Sinigang na Salmon

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Originally published April 2019. Updated with a new recipe, photos, new writing, brand new video.

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