A salty, fermented condiment made from tiny shrimp or small fish, used as a savory cooking ingredient rather than a table sauce.
Bagoong is made by salting fresh shrimp or fish (called bagoong alamang and bagoong isda, respectively) and letting them ferment for weeks or months, which breaks the seafood down into a deeply savory, salty paste. The shrimp version is usually pink to grayish-pink and slightly chunky; the fish version, more common in the Ilocos region, is thinner and closer to a briny sauce.
Most households don't eat bagoong straight from the jar. It gets cooked into dishes — sautéed with garlic, chili, and a little sugar as a side condiment for kare-kare, or stirred directly into the pot in dishes like pinakbet and Bicol express, where it acts as the main salt-and-umami backbone instead of soy sauce or fish sauce.
Brands and regions vary a lot in saltiness and funk. Guimaras and Zambales are both well known for their bagoong, and cooks often have a strong brand loyalty passed down in the family.
Recipes on Pancit.com that call for bagoong.
Pork belly simmered in coconut milk with chilies and shrimp paste.
Oxtail and vegetables in a rich, savory peanut sauce, served with sautéed bagoong.
Squash, eggplant, bitter melon, and string beans simmered with pork and bagoong.
