Sinugno
Grilled tilapia finished in a mild coconut sauce with ginger, pechay and a whole green chilli.
AI-generated serving illustration.
Ingredients
Measure and prepare everything before you begin cooking.
- 2 whole tilapia, each 450–550 g after scaling and gutting, fully thawed
- 3 g fine salt
- 20 ml neutral oil, divided
- 120 g onion, thinly sliced
- 20 g ginger, cut into fine strips
- 10 g garlic, chopped
- 400 ml unsweetened coconut milk, stirred smooth
- 100 ml water
- 10 ml fish sauce, plus up to 5 ml after tasting
- 250 g pechay, stems and leaves separated
- 1 long green chilli, left whole
- 1 g ground black pepper
- Cooked rice, to serve
Instructions
- 1
Pat fish dry, score the thickest flesh shallowly and rub with salt and 10 ml oil. Heat and oil the cooking surface.
- 2
Grill over medium heat, approximately 8–12 minutes per side, until marked and nearly cooked. Support the fish when turning. Transfer directly to the sauce.
- 3
Meanwhile, soften onion and ginger in the remaining oil for 4 minutes. Stir in garlic for 30 seconds.
- 4
Add coconut milk, water, 10 ml fish sauce, chilli and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- 5
Add fish; spoon sauce over it, cover and simmer until its thickest flesh reaches at least 63°C, avoiding the bone. Begin checking after 5 minutes; larger fish need longer.
- 6
Add pechay stems for 2–3 minutes, then leaves until wilted. Taste the cooked sauce before adding the reserved fish sauce. Serve carefully around bones.
About Sinugno
Sinugno pairs grilled fish with coconut sauce in Quezon cooking. We grill the tilapia first so the browned skin brings depth to the gentle sauce, then add the greens near the end. Unlike a stuffed leaf-wrapped fish dish, these fish go straight from grill to pan.
Ingredient swaps wherever you cook
- Bok choy can replace pechay by weight. Separate thick stalks from tender leaves so they finish together.
- A similarly sized firm white fish can be used as a home adaptation. A grill pan browns the fish but does not reproduce charcoal smoke; use the temperature check rather than copying tilapia timings.
How to know it is ready
- The sauce has small, steady bubbles rather than a hard boil.
- The thickest fish flesh reaches at least 63°C away from bone and separates readily.
Common mistakes and fixes
- Turning the fish before its skin releases can tear it. Oil the grate and support the whole fish with a basket or broad spatula.
- Stirring the sauce vigorously breaks the fish. Spoon sauce over it and lift carefully when serving.
Family and regional variations
- Keep the green chilli whole for a gentler dish, or omit it. Do not add a stuffed filling from another fish recipe.
Storage and reheating
Remove fish from the bones where practical and refrigerate fish and sauce in a shallow covered container within 2 hours. Use within 2 days. Reheat the portion needed gently until above 75°C throughout.
What to serve with it
Makes 4 portions with rice. Contains fish and fish sauce. Take care with small bones, especially when serving children.
Sinugno FAQs
Can I skip grilling?
Grilling is the defining first step in this version. Fish simmered directly in coconut milk can be good, but it loses Sinugno’s browned, smoky character.
Is coconut cream the same as coconut milk here?
Use unsweetened coconut milk as measured. Cream is more concentrated and changes the consistency; do not replace the whole measure with cream.
Cooking guidance: Follow current food-safety advice and the instructions for your equipment.
