FISH BAR (CHICAGO)

Fish Bar

2956 N. Sheffield, Chicago

IL 60657

A must try  when in Chicago.

I enjoyed the food and will definitely visit this place on my next visit to Chicago.



 

 

 

 

 

We ordered two kinds of oysters, goose point, i can't remember the other one. I love them both honestly i couldn't tell w/c one was better.

 



Scallop Ceviche...i wanted more.



 





Fried Eastern Belly Clams..so good!!!!

 



Oyster Po'boy, i can eat more of these ;)

 

A la plancha - Octopus, lemon aioli, capers, parsley, garlic and asparagus.

Perfectly grilled and so tender. The Aioli "broke" but it was still good.

SINUGBA NA ISDA (GRILLED FISH)

This blog is a continuation of the SINUGBA NA LIEMPO Please check it out. As i mentioned, Sinugba na liempo and Sinugba na Isda comes hand in hand.

I used tilapia for this specific sinugba but you can use different kinds of fish of your choice. Snapper and trout are great for this dish as well. Although this is categorized as grilling, the process is technically steaming the fish. The tilapia is wrapped w/ banana leaves and then grilled, so the banana leaves gets grilled and charred w/c imparts a distinct flavor and aroma to the steaming fish.

Ingredients:

Whole fish (cleaned, scaled and gutted)

1 pack banana leaves ( available at Asian stores)
tomatoes (sliced)
green onions (cut into 1" length )
garlic (minced)
lemon grass (fresh is better- cut into 1" length)

ginger (sliced thinly)

S&P

***i didn't put exact measurements, the quantity will all depend on the size of your fish and how many will you be grilling.

1. Mix all the veggies and spices, then stuff some into the fish cavity.

2. Lay the stuffed fish in the middle of the banana leaves putting some of the veggie, spice mixture under the fish and on top of the fish.

3. Wrap the fish sealing ends w/ toothpick.

4. Grill until banana leaves are charred approximately about 30 minutes.

SERVE W/ THE SINUGBA NA LIEMPO, STEAMED RICE. I LOVE MINE W/ SPICY VINEGAR.

Lay fish in the middle of the banana leaves.

Secure edges w/ tooth pick

Grill (i grilled this fish for 35 minutes)

Unwrap gingerly, and enjoy the aroma as you unwrap!

ENJOY!!!!!

SINUGBA NA LIEMPO (GRILLED PORK BELLY)

I grilled this during the "grilling season" w/c was last month. I got busy and forgot to blog this right away. Anyways, it's still grilling season somewhere! but you can certainly bake or broil them too!

This dish is one of my papa's favorite and when ever my mama prepares this dish she always grills fish along side the liempo, so i do the same thing. I will blog the Grilled Tilapia wrapped in banana leaves after this.

CUT THE PORKBELLY INTO STRIPS, SEASON W/ GARLIC POWDER, ONION POWDER, SALT AND PEPPER. GRILL UNTIL COOKED.

LAMI KAAYO (SO DELICIOUS). I LIKE MINE SERVED W/ SPICY VINEGAR

SINUGBA NA LIEMPO (GRILLED PORK BELLY) WITH STEAMED WHITE RICE, CHERRY TOMATOES, GRILLED CORN AND SPICY HOT VINEGAR DIP

ENJOY!!!!!

PINOY BBQ (Filipino BBQ)

Pinoys (Filipinos) love their bbq anytime of the day. This could be served for breakfast or brunch served with sinangag (garlic fried rice) and a side of sunny side up eggs. For lunch this will be served with steamed white rice with a side of atchara (pickled vegetables). Dinner, it'll be most likely served w/ a vegetable salad such as kinilaw na talong at kamatis (Grilled eggplant with tomato salad) and ofcourse steamed white rice. This is also eaten as snacks and great w/ beer.

BBQ stands are ubiqitous in every street corner in the Philippines, one would wonder how are they able to sell their bbq. I remember back then...i went on a mission to taste all the bbqs one stand at a time and see which ones had the best bbq. And the conclusion?..Oh well, let's just say, i've yet to try a Pinoy BBQ that i don't like. You probably will ask what makes this BBQ, Pinoy/Filipino? what's the difference? It's the sweetness and the use of a "not so secret" ingredients. You'll see as you read the ingredients.

I make my marinade from scratch but lately i've been using Mama Sita's BBQ sauce mix, it saves me time and it's delicious as well. So, the next time you visit your Asian market, buy the mix and give it a try.



Ingedients:2-3 lbs. pork butt
Bamboo skewers or any kind of skewers


Ingredients for For Marinade:

1 C soy sauce
1 C 7-up or sprite (the not so secret ingredient)
6 calamansi * or 2 lemons (fresh lemon juice is best)*
1 whole garlic (minced)
3 T brown sugar (estimate only)
1 t freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of salt

*If you can't buy fresh calamansi you can buy frozen calamansi at any Asian store. Lemons can be used as a substitute but flavor profile will not be as authentic.


Ingredients For Basting:

Canola oil
Banana Ketchup (available at Asian stores, one of the not so secret ingredient)
soy sauce



1. If you will be using bamboo skewers, they need to be soaked for an hour to avoid burning while on the grill.

2. Cut pork in bite size cubes.

3. Combine and mix all the marinade ingredients. Taste and adjustments if needed .

4. Marinate the pork overnight or at least 2 hours.

5. Mix the basting ingredients and set it aside.

6. Skewer the meat, then start grilling.

7. Basting the meat every few minutes until cooked.

I served the bbq with steamed rice, eggplant tomato salad and soy sauce vinegar dipping sauce.

GRILLED PIZZA

I'm loving the weather, yay i have the reason to grill again. This time we had grilled pizza. I made Enrichin's (Lenny) here
pizza dough from his cook book "Enrichin' Your Kitchen"..:Chapter "Traditional Family Specialties"

Basic Pizza Dough

INGREDIENTS :
3 -3 ½ cups flour
1 pkg. Dry Active Yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
1 pinch of sugar
1 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:
1.Warm a medium mixing bowl by swirling hot water in it. Drain.

2.Place yeast in the bowl, pour on warm water.

3.Stir in sugar, mix with fork and allow to stand 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast has dissolved and starts to form.

4.Use a wooden spoon to mix the salt and 1/3 the flour, stirring with the spoon until the dough forms a mass and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

5.Sprinkle some of the flour onto a smooth work surface. I usually use a wooden board.

6.Remove dough from bowl and begin to knead it working in the remaining flour a little at a time. Knead for about 10 minutes. By the end the dough should be elastic and smooth. Form into a ball. Lightly oil a mixing bowl and place dough in the bowl.

7.Cover with a moisten clean dish towel, set it in a warm place until the dough doubles in size.

8.This take about 45 minutes to an hour. To test if the dough is ready poke two fingers into the dough.

9.If indentions remain, the dough is ready. You will need to work the dough one more time. Knead for 1 to 2 minutes to release the air.

****If a pizza dough is not available, you can substitute it w/ tortilla , lavash, flatbread or pita bread. These are the crust i used before. I suggest a thin crust would be best for grilling, it's quick and crispy.

1. Brush one side with olive oil and grill that side for few minutes.





2. Assemble your toppings on the grilled side. So the uncooked one will be on the bottom when you place the crust back to the grill. I used Italian hot sausage. Remove the casings, and cook the sausage first before the assembly. I used mozarella and provolone for the cheese. Close the grill and cook for about 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Until the gas ran out so i had to finish the last pizza in the oven but overall the pizza was good!!!.


This was the pizza that had to be cooked in the oven.

GIVE THIS A TRY, AND TELL ME W/C WOULD YOU PREFER, GRILLED PIZZA OR THE BAKED PIZZA.

ENJOY!!!!