i remember only having two kinds of seafood sinigang(sour soup) as a child in Manila: shrimp or milkfish (bangus). sometimes shrimp is too strong a flavor for me, and for the longest time i couldn't eat it without breaking out in hives. i'm not too fond of milkfish as it tends to be too "dry"--bland. here in the Northeast we've had to be more creative and use what fish is available: bluefish, trout, salmon.

catch of the day...striped sea bass: very flavorful and meaty and wonderful. it is also excellent broiled or fried.

..and great in sinigang (tamarind-sour soup)

boil water (or jasmine rice washing, the water you rinse out of your rice before cooking) with onions and tomatoes. add peeled gabi and when just about done, stir in sinigang mix (mama sita or white king or knorr) or tamarind puree, according to your sour index... add 1 long hot pepper and the fish (i sliced it into four-no fillets, fish head intact). let it poach for about 3 minutes, watching closely or it will break up. add washed fresh spinach and a splash of fish sauce. turn off the heat when the spinach is wilted but still bright green.
serve hot...