Carlo Lamagna is bringing Filipino Food to the masses, getting nerdy with the science of cooking, and educating folks on the history and roots of the Philipines.
Carlo Lamagna (41) is the Chef/Owner of Magna Kusina in Portland, OR., cooking up local farm-to-table ingredients with Filipino cooking techniques. A rising star in the Culinary world, Lamagna was Food and Wine Magazine’s Best New Chef of 2021 and has been recognized by The James Beard Foundation as a 2022 finalist for Best Chef in the Pacific and Northwest.
The JUMP share studio was packed during Lamagna’s second Chef appearance at Foodfort, a part of Treefort Music Fest, on Saturday, March 26, 2022. Lamagna’s family, including his: mother, wife, brother, and three children, were a part of the large crowd.
Chef Carlo’s cooking techniques are inspired by his Filipino/Elcano culture, and the ten years Lamagna spent living in the Philipines. Carlo (@twistedfilipino) says that “Filipino food is evolutionary,” contrary to how Filipino food is often described as fusion— in which Lamagna says, “Fusion is worse than the other F word.”
Carlo educated the Treefort crowd on a bit of Filipino history and how the Philippines was used as a strategic point by many global superpowers throughout time. Lamagna also noted that Filipinos were the first Asians to set foot in North America through Spanish colonization. With them, the Filipinos brought over citrus, cilantro, and the techniques used to make Tequila to Mexico and Latin America. Filipino people were also brought to Hawaii because of their vast farming knowledge on mountainous and volcanic land.
Filipino cuisine has evolved from an amazing root base, adapting to the ingredients available. In this FoodFort demonstration, Lamagna had to adapt to the ingredients available in Idaho when cooking Pinais Na Isda (recipe below)- Banana leaf steamed fish with grilled cilantro relish, in which the Banana leaf was omitted by using parchment paper.
We at the FoodFort demonstration were lucky enough to get a tasting portion of the steamed halibut made with what Lamagna termed the “Asian Trifecta” or “GGS” of garlic, ginger, and scallions. The fish was topped with a grilled cilantro relish that Carlo picked up from a Laotian chef he worked with at a Sushi bar in Detroit. The cilantro relish mimics a chimichurri sauce, often enjoyed in Latin cuisines on top of various proteins such as steak. The grilling of the cilantro brings an entirely different flavor profile and changes the structure of cilantro, so even those with the genetic disposition that makes raw cilantro taste like soap can enjoy this cilantro relish on top of Carlo Lamagna’s beautifully steamed fish!
Recpie for Pinais na Isda:
8 oz halibut or any other firm-fleshed fish
2 tbsp ginger, sliced
2 tbsp garlic, sliced
4 ea lemon slices
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 ea banana leaf
Salt
- Lightly season the halibut and let sit for at least 5 minutes for the salt to penetrate
- Place a bed of half of the ginger, garlic, and lemons on the banana leaf. Place fish on top and cover with the rest of the ingredients and fish sauce.
- Wrap the fish like a small parcel and tie it with either butcher twine or stripes of the banana leaf.
- Place in a 375 F. conventional oven and allow to cook for 15-2o minutes. Test with a metal skewer until warm in the middle.
Grilled Cilantro Relish
1 bunch cilantro
4 ea scallions
1 ea jalapeno
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 ea lime
2 tbsp grapeseed pil
- Dress cilantro, scallions, and jalapeno in oil and grill until slightly sharred.
- Chop all ingredients and dress with fish sauce, lime, and grapeseed oil. Season to taste.
All photos by StaciLei Tyau
