Concepcion Pinakas: Choosing Dried Fish and Cooking a Tomato Gisa

Coastal communities in Concepcion, Iloilo, have long used pinakas, a salting-and-sun-drying method for fish such as hasa-hasa. UP Visayas cultural mapping describes splitting cleaned fish, salting and drying it on bamboo racks or mats. The process is part of a fishing economy and its intergenerational knowledge. The account documents this practice without specifying a validated drying process. The tomato gisa below is a home use for purchased, correctly processed pinakas, not a documented Concepcion recipe. Source 1

Ingredients, equipment and assumptions

Choose about 150–200 g commercially prepared salt-dried fish from a trusted retailer, three ripe tomatoes, one small onion, 1 tablespoon neutral oil and 60 ml potable water and rice cooked separately. Bring a lidded sauté pan, tongs and a clean plate. Choose a product with storage and cooking instructions. Reject unexpected dampness, visible mould or insect damage.

A six-step kitchen method

1. Inspect the packaged or covered dried fish before buying: look for clear provenance, suitable packaging and an undamaged product, not just the lowest price per gram.
2. Follow the product’s storage directions. For loose fish, ask the producer whether refrigeration is required and how long it should be kept; do not buy an unidentified product whose handling cannot be explained.
3. Follow any product-specific rinsing or desalting instructions. If a soak is required, keep it refrigerated, discard the soaking water and drain the fish. Rinsing or soaking does not rescue spoiled fish.
4. Warm the tablespoon of oil in the pan. Soften chopped onion, then add chopped tomatoes and cook until they release juice. Add the measured 60 ml water and bring to a simmer.
5. Add the fish in manageable pieces and follow its required cooking directions. For an uncooked product, check that the thickest flesh reaches at least 63°C; follow any stricter package instructions. Remove bones and hard parts with clean utensils, then taste the cooked sauce before deciding whether it needs any salt.
6. Serve the fish and tomato mixture promptly with the separately cooked rice. Keep leftovers out of the original dried-fish package: refrigerate in shallow containers at 4°C or below within two hours, or one hour above 32°C.

Sources: Source 2 Source 3

Why this method works—and where it can fail

Salt is a flavouring and one element of traditional preservation, not a universal guarantee. Drying quality depends on conditions beyond the brief heritage description, including raw fish handling and protection from contamination. Once dried fish is rehydrated or mixed with moist tomato sauce, treat the result as cooked perishable food. Keep raw and cooked seafood utensils separate and use clean hands and surfaces throughout. The dried-fish buying and cooking guide discusses traceability, product-specific preparation and the limits of relying on smell alone. Source 2

If the sauce is too salty, add more cooked tomato or a measured splash of water, and serve a smaller fish portion. This changes the salt concentration or serving size; it does not remove all the salt from the batch. The salt-and-umami guide helps avoid piling patis or salty dips onto an already strongly seasoned meal.

How to judge the result

Pinakas belongs to a coastal processing tradition; the finished gisa should still show fish pieces and soft tomato rather than conceal the ingredient. Record the product, any desalting step and the final sauce quantity so the next batch is easier to season.

Keep the producer’s instructions

A purchased dried product and a cooked, moist tomato dish have different handling needs. Keep the packet or producer details until the food is used, and follow its storage requirements. The source’s description of traditional salting and sun drying is not a home preservation schedule. Source 1 Source 2