Aside from its beautiful beach and perfect surf camp location, this popular surfing and beach spot in Gubat, Sorsogon, also offers food that you must try.
If you’re thinking that Bicol express’ spicy flavor is already enough to heathen up your summer thirst, this smoked fish out of hell recipe of Lola Sayong can even bring spiciness onto a different level.
Marc Nico Mercader, 31, and one of the surfing instructors of Lola Sayong Eco-Surf Camp shared with Bicoldotph that such a dish helped him get through his life.
“Smoked fish out of hell yung pagkain na tumulong sa’min at nag-ahon mula sa pagiging tambay,” Mercader said.
Mercader also admitted that he was once an easy-go-lucky person who cares nothing but his life before.
However, the tides started to change when a destructive storm struck their province in 2015, trapping Mercader and his friends in Lola Sayong with no food left to eat.
What seems to be a devastating event was actually a turning point in their lives that gave birth to a dish that also carries a story of survival.
To relieve their hunger, Mercader and his friends were able to create a recipe by incorporating chili, tomatoes, and coconut into a smoked fish.
“’Yung natira na lang samin na pagkain is tinapa, sili, kamatis, bawang at sibuyas. Tapos ang dami naming parang iilan lang yung natirang tinapa kaya nag isip kami kun panu sya paparamihin na magkasya samin,” Mercader explained.
To survive the day, Mercader and his friends decided to cook food using all of the available ingredients and added a lot of chili to the fish to make it sufficient for them.
The dish was accidentally invented and through the years, it became one of the things that most tourists liked to look forward in the place.
Smoked fish out of hell is available in a bottle that can be stored for 2 months and can be consumed as a bread spread or mixed with pasta sauce, biscuits, and vegetables. | Aaron John Baluis
