Spicy Adobong Tahong Recipe

Clean the mussels: place tahong in a bowl and soak in water for about 5 minutes. (As the mussels breathe, they filter water and expel sand). While soaked in water, use your hands or a small brush to rub off any debris like seaweed, sand, barnacles, or mud on the shell. Once done, discard the water.

Cook mussels in a pot with enough water to submerge all the mussels. Add salt and sliced ginger. Cover and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

Once all shells are opened, turn off the heat and reserve 1 cup of the mussel soup. After that, use a colander to drain all the remaining soup.

Let the mussels cool down for several minutes. Once warm to the touch, removing the mussel meat from the shells. Place in a bowl and set aside.

Using a small wok, sauté garlic in oil. Once garlic turns brown, set aside some for garnishing. Add the mussel meat to the remaining garlic in the wok then mix for 2 minutes.

Add the mussel soup that was reserved, bay leaf, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and vinegar. DO NOT STIR. Cover the wok and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

Once the sauce is reduced, mix and then add salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper (optional) to taste. Serve with toasted garlic on top.