Kinilaw na dilis (anchovy ceviche)

Ingredients

• ½ kilo of the fresh fish
• ½ cup natural vinegar,
• 1 large onion, minced or chopped
• 1 thumb-sized ginger, peeled and julienned
• 3 pieces chili peppers sliced diagonally,
• 1 mild chili bell pepper,
• julienned,
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste,
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• ¼ cup juice of calamondin or lemon or lime.

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Preparation

• The laborious part of preparing this dish is the removal of bones, head and gut. This is manually done by carefully splitting the body in two and discarding the bone-tail-head and gut parts and washing the meat part in running water.
• Continue doing the process for all the remaining fish. One by one, slowly at first but you will develop speed as you get the hang of it.
• First, in a medium non-l bowl, marinate the anchovies in vinegar for several minutes. Just until the meat becomes pale white in color suggesting it gets cooked by the vinegar action. All visible blood traces will also be eliminated during this process.
• Drained the fish meat properly and discard the vinegar. Apply slight pressure to the meat while draining to remove the excess vinegar from the meat. In a large mixing bowl, also non-l, place the thoroughly drained anchovy.
• Add in all the other ingredients except citrus juice and slightly stir to mix everything. Pour the citrus juice and slightly stir once again. Don't worry if it seems a little dry at first. It will render the juice later on. Place inside the fridge for about several minutes for the taste to be fully developed.
• Stir lightly, taste and adjust the salt or ground pepper according to your preference. When you are happy with the taste, serve immediately in a deep plate.