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Sinarapan in Bicol, world’s smallest edible fish

Dried sinarapan made into cakes or sheets and sold around Bicol. One peso coin is around 2 cms in diameter.
Dried sinarapan made into cakes or sheets and sold around Bicol. One peso coin is around 2 cms in diameter.

Sinarapan in Bicol, also known as Mistichthys luzonensis HM SMITH 1902 is one of the smallest fishes in the world and it is found in certain bodies of water in Camarines Sur, including Lake Buhi, thus, I remember what I have learned during my elementary years, drilled down by CED, Current Events Digest, and stern teachers that we had to memorize these tidbits of information.

Well, it was one of two with the other, more popularly known as Pandaka pygmaea, still found in the island of Luzon and endemic to the Philippines. But going back on the former, it was only last June that I finally got to see what this sinarapan actually is, cooked, ate, and as a sheet of dried fish.

It’s tiny, averaging 12mm in length and although I haven’t seen it live, my attempts to arrange of seeing it or even sold fresh at the market didn’t materialize but I got fascinated with this rather tasty fish. It’s said to swim in schools and there is a certain way of capturing it.

Cooked, its usually sauteed lightly in oil with tomatoes and onions and goes well with rice especially if its spiked with chili! Other than sold as dried sheets or cakes, it is also available in blocks of uncooked sinarapan that is usually frozen.

The placid waters of Lake Buhi, one of the few bodies of water in Camarines Sur where the sinarapan makes its home
The placid waters of Lake Buhi, one of the few bodies of water in Camarines Sur where the sinarapan makes its home

Thanx to Lake Buhi Resort for the invitation where I stayed for a few days and enjoyed this place so much.

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