Sinigang Na Hipon — Photo: Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Kay E. Clarke

Active Time:

35 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 35 mins

Servings:

"Citrus is the perfect accent to the prawns and also adds a brightness that might not come from the tamarind," Miranda says. The recipe is from her restaurant Musang in Seattle, and is inspired by the sinigang her father used to make for her family. "Growing up, I always loved all the different ways that sinigang could be prepared. Usually it would be pork sinigang in the fall and winter time, and sinigang with fish and seafood in the spring and summertime. It always would make me laugh that we'd eat soup during the summer, but the balance of acidity in sinigang just made it right."

Frequently asked questions

What is Sinigang Na Hipon?

Sinigang is a soup from the Philippines with a tangy broth, often made using sour fruit like tamarind or unripe guava. Sinigang Na Hipon simply means sinigang with prawn.

Are there elements to the dish that can be made ahead?

The sinigang broth can be prepared through step 1 up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in a refrigerator. Warm the broth over low heat before proceeding with step 2.

Note from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

For the perfect grilled head-on prawns or shrimp, place the head on the part of the grill that has the least heat — "the head cooks faster and you can also maintain the beauty of it without it burning," Miranda advises.

Aneto fish broth is available at specialty grocery stores and online at marianafoods.us.

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Ingredients

Sinigang Broth

1 (33.8-ounce) package fish broth (such as Aneto)
2 medium-size plum tomatoes (about 8 ounces), quartered lengthwise
1 small (6-ounce) yellow onion, peeled and halved lengthwise
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
4 medium garlic cloves, smashed
1 small (11-ounce) red grapefruit
1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
Fine sea salt, to taste

Additional Ingredients

12 deveined unpeeled head-on raw large Argentinean prawns (about 1 1/2 pounds) or 1 1/2 pounds deveined unpeeled head-on raw extra-large shrimp
1 tablespoon seasoning salt (such as Johnny's Fine Foods)
1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
12 medium shishito peppers (about 3 ounces)
Small fresh cilantro leaves and thinly sliced watermelon radish, for serving

Directions

Make the sinigang broth:

Bring fish broth, tomatoes, onion, ginger, and garlic to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, uncovered, until flavors meld and liquid has reduced to about 3 1/4 cups (about 6 3/4 cups including solids), about 45 minutes.
Using a Y-shaped peeler, remove grapefruit peel in 6 to 8 long strips. Cut grapefruit in half crosswise, and squeeze to yield 1/2 cup juice. Discard squeezed grapefruit. Remove broth mixture from heat, and add grapefruit juice and peel strips. Let mixture stand 10 minutes. Pour mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer set over a medium-size heatproof bowl; discard solids. Return strained broth to saucepan; stir in fish sauce and lemon juice. Add salt and additional fish sauce to taste. Cover and keep warm over low.
Preheat grill to medium-high (400°F to 450°F). Toss together prawns, seasoning salt, and 2 teaspoons oil in a medium bowl. Toss together shishito peppers and remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a separate medium bowl. Arrange prawns and shishito peppers on unoiled grates; grill, uncovered, turning occasionally, until prawns are cooked through and peppers are lightly charred and tender, about 4 minutes per side. (Prawn shells will start to release from the meat when they're cooked through.)
Divide sinigang broth evenly among four bowls. Arrange 3 prawns and 3 shishito peppers in each bowl. Garnish with cilantro and radish, and serve.

Originally appeared: July 2022