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Fermentation Atlas

Fish and seafood from Philippines

Bagoong isda (and monamon, terong, dilis)bagoong isda

Bagoong isda is small fish such as anchovy, sardine or round scad mixed with salt and left in earthen jars for months until the flesh breaks down into a reddish-brown paste. Liquid that rises from the same ferment becomes patis, the Philippine fish sauce. Bacterial and fish enzymes, not lactic acid, do most of the work. Made in 4 steps over 2 months – 6 months. The longest step, ferment in earthen jars in a warm place, takes 2–6 months (Sanchez P.C. 1999) and runs at 40 °C (Sanchez P.C. 1999). Salt is 22–25 % (Sanchez P.C. 1999). Bacillus pumilus and Bacillus coagulans, B. megaterium and B. subtilis do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step2–6 monthsReported[sanchez1999][chayu2024]Ferment in earthen jars in a warm place
Temperature40 °CReported[sanchez1999]Ferment in earthen jars in a warm place
Salt22–25 %Reported[sanchez1999][narzary2021][chayu2024]Mix with salt
AciditypH 5.9Reported[sanchez1999]Separate the paste from the patis
Fully documentedFish and seafood2 months – 6 monthsMore fish and seafoodMore from Philippines

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceRatios are by weight from reviews of Philippine practice; each maker keeps its own ratio.
Small fish (dilis, tamban or galunggong), washed and drained[sanchez1999]
Salt to fish 1:3 to 2:7, depending on fish sizeSalt[sanchez1999][narzary2021]
Starterspontaneous

Total time across the recorded steps: 2 months – 6 months

Start
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What changes: Starting material: small fish, washed and drained

Step 1 of 4
Wash and drain the fish
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Bacillus enzymes
Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Bagoong isda is the solid part of the same ferment that gives patis. Unlike burong isda or balao-balao it has no rice, so it ripens by protein breakdown under high salt rather than by lactic souring.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Bagoong Balayan (Batangas)Anchovy bagoong with much liquid; also a source of patis.
  • Bagoong terongMade from bonnetmouth fish.
  • Bagoong sisi and macabebeMade from clams (sisi) or oysters instead of fish.

Safety

Bagoong is not soured, so its safety rests on salt. Histamine can form in fish while it is salted and fermented until the product is fully shelf-stable, and the US FDA sets a guidance level of 50 ppm histamine in fish flesh. Use fresh, chilled fish.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

  1. [sanchez1999] Sanchez P.C. 1999, Microorganisms and technology of Philippine fermented foods, Japanese Journal of Lactic Acid Bacteria 10(1):19–28, doi:10.4109/JSLAB1997.10.19paper
  2. [narzary2021] Narzary Y., Das S., Goyal A., Lam S., Sarma H., Sharma D. 2021, Fermented fish products in South and Southeast Asian cuisine, Journal of Ethnic Foods 8:33, doi:10.1186/s42779-021-00109-0 (table 2)paper
  3. [chayu2024] Cha Y.J., Yu D. 2024, Health benefits and functions of salt-fermented fish, Journal of Ethnic Foods 11:34 (table 1)paper
  4. [fda-ch7] US Food and Drug Administration, Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, chapter 7, Scombrotoxin (histamine) formationgov
  5. [wp-bagoong] Wikipedia, Bagoong (jar names and variants only), accessed 2026-10-16wiki