Enjoying delicious food with great company is one of life's greatest pleasures, especially in the comfort of one's own home. Today, I don't have much planned, but my beau and I are headed to the Bogo City Public Market - Bogo City, Northern Cebu, Philippines, to buy some fresh seafood for tonight's dinner. We chose this market because it's conveniently located near our hometown and offers an impressive variety of high-quality fish and other seafood. Follow along as I take you through our seafood shopping and preparation journey.
Bogo City Public Market - Bogo City, Northern Cebu, Philippines
The Bogo City Market offers a wide variety of fresh produce, fruits, vegetables , meats and seafood. But I am not gonna highlight those because we are just looking for seafood. Grilled fish, kinilaw or ceviche and other seafood options were on the menu for tonight, so we strolled around the market with the intention of finding the freshest catch available.
DANGGIT DRIED FISH AND FERMENTED FISH
As a Filipino, dried fish is a breakfast staple that's best enjoyed with a hot cup of coffee and some fresh rice. We also have a fondness for fermented fish, especially when paired with unripe bananas. These dishes are some of the reasons why being a Filipino is a culinary delight. For a hearty meal, a bowl of vegetable soup always hits the spot and can make you forget about your diet.
The famous danggit boneless dried fish or the spinefoot fish is a well-regarded delicacy in the Philippines. It is both convenient to eat and relatively expensive. During a trip to Bantayan Island I had a few years ago, I recall the abundance of these spinefoot fishes available on the island, and the comparative affordability these dried fishes when purchased there in the island versus here in the usual markets. This particular variety is one of the most popular boneless dried fish in the Philippines, and it certainly has the potential to be exported internationally.
FRESH FISHES AVAILABLE AT BOGO CITY PUBLIC MARKET
At the Bogo City Public Market, you can find a diverse selection of fresh fish. There are various sizes, shapes, and colors available, so you can pick what you prefer. The fish displayed at the market are mostly freshly caught, and some are still alive, indicating their freshness. I prefer buying fish at markets instead of grocery stores because grocery stores often sell frozen fish that are not as fresh.
WHAT WE BOUGHT AT THE BOGO CITY PUBLIC MARKET:
I am unsure of what this fish's name is but we bought this for ₱250.00 per kilo and we paid ₱350.00 for one fish. We will be cooking grilled fish and this will be perfect for grilling.
We also bought one kilo of herring fish for ₱50.00 which we will also be grilling together with the big fish on the first photo.
We also bought one kilo of anchovy fish for ₱100.00 which we will be using for our ceviche.
Saang or Spider Conch Shells
We bought spider conch shells for ₱120.00 and it was such a fresh catch. It was even still moving.
This is probably the time where we always think that we need to strive hard to buy ourselves a car because during times like these, there are sometimes that there are some things in place where we tend to buy some stuff at the market or anywhere else and it may be a little bit difficult for our means of transportation. We will surely be looking into that and saving up for it. Right now, we will be using our motorcycle. Time to head home.
On my days off from work, I always head back home to the province to spend quality time with my family and loved ones. That is why today, we decided to have grilled fish and seafood for dinner, which we are preparing outside in our spacious front yard. We have set up a sofa bed at our bermuda grass, making it a perfect spot to relax, stargaze and enjoy the fresh air. We prepared all the foods we bought from the Bogo City Public Market today.
My Hometown - Caduawan, Tabogon, Northern Cebu, Philippines
What a view from our front yard. One of the many best reasons why I love to go home. Our Christmas lights really brighten up the surroundings and kept the Christmas spirit alive.
They cleaned the anchovy fish for our ceviche. I love it when it is prepared fresh and spicy.
My beau used our torch to light up the charcoal faster. He is getting ready for the grilled fish that we will be cooking.
Our grilled fish is almost cooked.
Look at that.
Thankful for my beau who always does the cooking.
My beau is smashing the spider conch shells using a hammer to get it’s meat. I loved it dipped on vinegar with onions and chili.
When everything was cooked, we got a banana leaf and placed our food in it. We did a BOODLE FIGHT and we ate the food using our hands. What a dinner indeed!
While these meals may not be grand or luxurious, they are best enjoyed when shared with family and loved ones. It's not just about the expensive food, but the company you keep while eating that makes the dinner special. There's nothing quite like enjoying good food and good company while catching up on life updates. And, of course, a cold soda is the perfect addition to make the meal even better. This is one of the things I love most about going home to the province and always look forward to.
As I've grown older, I've learned to slow down and appreciate the small moments in life, like sharing meals with family and loved ones. These moments are priceless and cannot be bought with money. That's why I strongly suggest you spend time with your family because time is precious. Time spent with family is never wasted.
Hope you all had a great dinner with your family and loved ones. Ciao!☺︎♡