How To Cook The Best Adobong Pusit

The Philippines is a sprawling archipelago comprising 7641 islands. With vast and numerous aquatic resources, the country is undeniably experiencing an abundant supply of seafood. As such, the seafood industry has been growing and contributing to the national economy at an unprecedented rate. This fact opens us that most Filipinos have an inherent love for seafood recipes. 

This fact opens us to the Statistics of seafood consumption. In 2017, the country had a mean per capita consumption of fish and seafood products of 40 kilograms per year or 109 grams per day. Meanwhile, in 2015, the seafood industry contributed 1.5% to the country Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This contribution opens us to employment to 1.6 million people. Thus, this opens us to the not-so-new fact that we love seafood recipes.    

Being surrounded by oceans and seas, it is not new that one of the significant sources of food consumption in the Philippines is seafood. This fact opens that people have learned to eat different kinds of edible marine animals, especially squid, and develop different ways of preparing it and varying recipes.

Are you a seafood lover? Are you fond of feasting on clams, shrimps, crabs, and anything under the sea? If so, this is entirely made for you. Be prepared as you uncover how to cook adobong pusit/squid, one of the in-demand seafood recipes that ever existed. 

We highlighted several things you must know. You will figure out the magic behind the recipes’ authentic taste, the preparation style required to achieve this masterpiece, and other trivial information worth knowing. 

You will gain confidence upon knowing that the ingredients of recipes here can suit your budget. Thus, it is so simple and affordable that you will attempt to cook this dish once in a while. If this is relatively new to you, now is the time to unfold the depth of This meal's lusciousness.

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Where Does Squid Adobong Recipe Originate 

The three century-long Spanish occupations in the Philippines have significantly influenced Filipino culture and civilization, including food recipes. It is not a new fact for Filipinos. One of these things was food and food preparation, such as the emergence of adobo.

Adobo is a food preservation method improvised by the local natives to prolong the shelf-life of meat. This method was done by soaking the meat with vinegar, salt, and black pepper. But when the Chinese peddlers came, this was one of the innovative recipes as soy sauce was introduced to the natives, and they used it as a substitute for salt. 

Subsequently, when the Spanish came, their chroniclers observed and noted the peculiar indigents method was similar to “adobar” or the Spanish marinade. Thus, where the name adobo has blossomed and integrated into the local recipes.

The origin of adobong pusit came in the picture when the Spanish have brought a similar dish wherein the pusit is submerged into its ink with black sauce. Hence, filled with creativity, the native Filipinos adopted it and made it as adobong pusit. Adobong pusit is one of the south-after recipes Filipinos have.  

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What Is Adobong Pusit

Adobong Pusit is characterized by sliced squid cooked into a marinade mixture of vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, onion, black pepper, and other spices you like. It is one of the recipes that is usually served as a unique main course in seafood restaurants, eateries nearby beach fronts, and even in local carinderia or small restaurants. 

Adobong Pusit is one of the Filipino recipes and preparation techniques to preserve the squid from spoiling as it undergoes in adobo marinade. It is one of the recipes that does not quickly get spoiled. It is also one of the recipes that are guaranteed light and easy-to-cook. It will take approximately 10-15 minutes as the pusit is quick to become soft. 

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What Is The Proper Way To Clean The Squid For Adobong Pusit

As introduced above, it appears that preparing this is one of the simple recipes. Don’t deceive yourself by how it looks because this is one of the recipes whose meat requires extensive cleaning. 

First, we begin cleaning by removing the squid’s internal organs such as the intestine and the transparent-looking backbone. You have to be careful in this part to avoid ruining the ink sac because it is the one that gives the darkish color on the adobong pusit. Nonetheless, it's up to you if you want to pull it out because it depends on you whether you like it dark or not. 

After this, it’s now time to scrape the skin to become smooth instead of slimy gently. It’s then for you to decide whether to cook the pusit as a whole or slice it in bite-size or onion rings.   

Finally, don’t forget to rewash it thoroughly to maintain its freshness as if it was untouched. Then, your pusit is now ready for planned recipes.

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How To Cook A Delicious Adobong Pusit

After cleaning and making your main ingredient ready, let’s proceed to the more exciting part, putting one of your recipes to realization. Here, we have listed down and illustrate what the adobong pusit ingredients and procedures are.

• A pound of well-cleaned pusit or two is maybe sufficient for 4-5 persons to consume. It's safe to say that it’s enough for a family to enjoy. Plus, recipes of squids have essential health benefits our body may gain, such as the formation of red blood cells, reduction of cholesterol and inflammation, and prevention of arthritis. 

• To add some crisp and crunch to your pusit, you may employ blanching. It is done by scalding your pusit into boiling water and drain, and then you will have to transfer it to ice-cold water and drain again before cooking. Traditionally, scalding is for vegetables and fruits, but you may also try it on your pusit. 

• Subsequently, you place your pusit in a bowl and pour in calamansi extract to wash away the stench odor. For your squid recipes, you may use lemon or lime if calamansi is not available. 

• Place your pusit in a preheated pan or casserole with a combination of condiments and spices such as vinegar, soy sauce, ground black pepper, minced garlic, dried bay leaves, and fish sauce (patis) (if you want it to be saltier). Let it simmer for quite some time until your pusit has turned reddish, tender, and juicy.   

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Various Recipes For Cooking Adobong Pusit

Proudly, this seafood cuisine is as flexible and versatile as any other Filipino recipes. Besides, such characteristics are also reflective of Filipino creativity, resourcefulness, and resilience. Nonetheless, here are some of the other squid adobo recipes you can play with to make your cooking more enjoyable. 

Dried Adobong Pusit 

First on this list is the dried adobong pusit. Dried adobong pusit is not new to our ears; it has been with us for a long time. The description of this variation if you compare it with the traditional and original version is almost identical. It is one of the easy-to-do recipes. The main difference is that this variant is sauceless. It opens us to the fact that the pusit has absorbed the marinade until it dried up, making the pusit yummy. This cuisine is a top-rating recipe for those who love salty food.  

Gata Recipe 

If you prefer creamy cuisine, this is one of the recipes suited for you. It is also not a new recipe for us since we have been using coconut milk (gata) as a significant ingredient for other recipes. To put some creamy tweak, you may also try adobong pusit sa gata. You can do this by simply adding gata to the original version while preparing it. It’s just that you blanch your pusit correctly so that the crisp and crunch may complement well with the adobo sauce and matches well with the creaminess of gata. 

However, keep in mind adding gata or coconut milk may affect the shelf-life of your adobong pusit and might risk your stomach when you have accidentally eaten a spoiled dish. So, when there are leftovers, immediately store it inside the refrigerator. Then, when you wish to eat this again some other time, reheat it under low fire until it boils. 

Further, you may enhance the flavor when it boils by adding more gata and a few condiments and spices. There, you can enjoy it more without endangering your tummy. It opens us to the not-so-new fact that this cuisine is a top-rating recipe for those who love gata on their viand.

Potato Recipe

Aside from sucking it dried and making it creamy, you may include another crunchy munch into your squid menu as another way of innovation. In line with this, you may explore adobong pusit with potatoes. It opens us to the not-so-new fact that this is one of the recipes that is considered sophisticated. Almost everyone loves this recipe. Who would dare to skip a sophisticated recipe, anyway? 

In doing so, you may include the potatoes in your squid adobo recipe either of the two ways. You may directly put the freshly washed and peeled sliced potatoes into the pot when the pusit is already half cooked.

You may separately fry your thinly sliced potatoes before plunging it into the almost cooked pusit dish. There it is as if you’re eating french fries when indulging in your adobong pusit.

Furthermore, potatoes have the characteristic of complementing the saltiness and sourness of the adobo marinade. Aside from that, potatoes also contain essential nutrients relevant to sustain our bodily needs. It leads us to the not-so-new fact that this cuisine is a high-rating recipe for potato lovers. 

Ginger Recipe

Adobong pusit with ginger is one of the innovative recipes you will get to encounter. To put more fun, you may also improvise your adobong pusit with ginger. Using the same preparation process, you’ll saute the finger-sized cut ginger along with the spices. Once done, the ginger presence will give a more pungent taste and will sway you into singing your heart out.

Aside from the fact that ginger adds freshness to the pusit, you can also gain essential nutrients. For one, it has an anti-inflammatory property which can settle an upset in your stomach and prevent heart disease. Moreover, it can also reduce the risk of diabetes. It leads us to the not-so-new fact that this is one of the top-rating recipes for health-conscious people.    

Grilled Recipe

Surely, grilled adobong pusit can heat it a notch. You'll need the same marinating ingredients and, of course, your pusit to put this over a grill with blazing coals underneath. 

What’s good about grilling seafood is that it makes them a lot tastier. Specifically, the pusit absorbs almost every drop of the marinated mix without sucking it dry. Thus, it makes it juicier and yummier, and without a doubt, your family will not regret its remarkable taste. It leads us to the not-so-new fact that this is one of the high-rating recipes for the people who are grilled food lovers.     

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Troubleshooting

Great recipes are not spared from mishaps, including the Adobong Pusit. Recipes like adobong pusit will go too salty, but seldom does it go tasteless because it contains soy sauce and other salty ingredients. So, if your recipes' cooking went too salty, add some sugar and a small amount of chili to neutralize and balance the taste; this technique can save your adobong pusit and other recipes. 

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Cooking Tips

• The Filipino pusit tastes good if you use a small yet freshly bought pusit. 
• It is ideal to buy pusit locally from the market and ensure its freshness by asking where it came from. It is advisable to avoid products where oversight is lacking, and catching practice is questionable. With this practice, your recipes will be safer. 
• After cleaning and slicing the squids, you can also dip it in lemon or calamansi extract to remove the unnecessary smell. This cleaning method applies to most recipes. 
• While cooking, it is easy to overcook the pusit, so better yet, let it simmer just until the pusit is cooked through. 
• To add crispness to your pusit even though it has its adobo sauce, use the blanching method before simmering or cooking the dish. This technique is also applicable to several squid recipes. 

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Ideally Served With

• Warm rice - in various recipes, rice is always a perfect match. 
• Chili sauce increases the spices on people's seafood while eating, adding more flavor and aroma!
• Crispy Lechon Kawali - the sour-salty taste of our adobong pusit is better with the savory flavor of fried Lechon. 
• Chicharon is also a better partner for our dish in Lechon's replacement if you don’t have it. 
• Achara - Since this dish is cooked in adobo sauce, it has a naturally salty taste that compliments Achara's sour taste. 
•  Fried Chicken - If you cannot help but to still find chicken to eat, the sauce of adobong pusit is another perfect match. 
• Beef caldereta - the presence of beef, together with seafood, on the table makes the dining experience more sophisticated. 
• Cake - after a sumptuous full meal treat, who would dare to skip cake as dessert? Cakes recipes are one of the most incredible desserts that ever existed.   

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Conclusion 

To sum it up, it is safe to say that squid is like the “chicken” of the sea when preparing the dishes. It is highly versatile as proven by its variety and immensely delicious to serve in a meal. It has essential health benefits for our bodies to gain and not regret it in the end.

So, with this exciting recipe, what are you waiting for? Show some enthusiasm and prepare to impress your family and friends. It’s time to showcase your newly acquired fascinating insights on how to master and prepare the adobong pusit.

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