I wrote a blog post on tuyo awhile back. As I have mentioned Filipinos almost always eat this with rice. However, in the past decade Filipinos have been very open and adventurous when it comes to food. Pasta tuyo is nothing new, have seen restaurants back home offering it on their menu and housewives making it in their own kitchen.
This recipe was adapted from epicurious. I made some changes on the ingredients and measurements used.
Cook spaghetti according to package directions (I used half of a lb box). Drain pasta and set aside about a quarter cup of pasta water.
Heat a pan and place 1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil. Then add 2-3 cloves thinly sliced garlic and 4-5 pieces of dried herring. Stir and break your fish a bit using your wooden spoon, cook until garlic is fragrant. Then add 1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley and about 1 tsp. red pepper flakes and stir until just combined. Remove from heat. Note: I did not add salt since tuyo is already salty as is
Add your cooked pasta to your garlic oil and stir until pasta is coated with the sauce. You can add your reserved pasta water and continue stirring until everything comes together and sauce becomes a bit creamy. I place the pot back on medium heat just to help the sauce set.
Arrange your pasta in a wide bowl and sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan cheese and lemon zest on top. Note: I also recommend a squeeze of lemon over your pasta before serving as this helps brighten the taste/flavor.
