While many of the beaches in Panay island all promise the pleasures of luxuriating on white sands and blue waters, only one assures of an engaging meal of succulent seafood—Baybay Beach of Roxas City. Baybay faces the Sibuyan Sea and is lined with grayish sand. Tourists—both gourmands and seafood lovers—flock to Baybay Beach to sample the mouthwatering fish, mollusks, and crustaceans in the restaurants along the 7-kilometer stretch.

Where does the province get its seafood? “The province of Capiz is home to 6 coastal towns namely the municipalities of Ivisan, Sapian, Panay, Pontevedra, Pilar, President Roxas, and the coastal City of Roxas. These coastal towns produce a variety of seafood each peaking at different seasons,” informs Provincial Tourism Officer Mr. Alphonsus Tesoro.

The aquaculture industry of Capiz has been so extensively developed that it is able to produce a wide variety of seafood year-round, prompting many to call the province the Center of Seafood Trip Tourism in the country. The seafood produce includes tahong (mussels), talaba (oyster), alimango (mangrove crab), lukon (tiger prawns), inid (grouper), pasayan/puti-an (white shrimp), bangus (milkfish), tilapia, hito (catfish), lampisaw, and the treasured diwal (angel wings).

“Capiz also yields other seafood produce such as kasag (blue crab), aloy (skipjack tuna), tamban (sardines), alumahan (long-jawed mackerel), galunggong (round scad), pusit (squid), kikilo (snapper), bagudlong (yellow tail scad), tulingan (bullet tuna), sapsap and lawayan (splendid ponyfish), bisugo (yellowbelly threadfin), bukaw-bukaw (big eye) and danggit (spinefoot), among others,” adds Tesoro.

Likewise, the rivers, brackish waters, and shores of Capiz are rich breeding grounds for clams and shellfishes such as litub (ark shell), kagaykay (surf clam), tuway (hard clam), balinday (nylon shell), pios/Capiz shells (windowpane oyster), scallops, goatfish, threadfin bream and even the brackish water eel, or puyoy.

Understandably, Capisnon cookery has been significantly influenced by the profusion of seafood in the province. Says Tesoro, “There is a fine list of seafood-based Capisnon dishes. Because of the rich and distinct flavors of Capisnon seafood, it can be cooked in many various ways imaginable–fried, grilled, steamed, made into soup, sauced or prepared as a ceviche.”

In Capisnon homes, such traditional seafood dishes as Binakol nga Alimango, Tinum-anan nga Pakinhason, Laswa nga may Sinalay never fail to make it to the dining table.
As much as a source of gustatory pleasure, the marine treasures of Capiz are also a reason for thanksgiving. Every year, the entire province gears up for the celebration called “Capiztahan.” A veritable fiesta, one of the highlights of the festivity is the Food Trip sa Capiz. On this occasion, an overflow of seafood is piled on long buffet tables. Amid joyful music and lively conversation, locals and tourists alike share the bounty of prawns, crabs, mussels, and oysters, among other seafood delights—the highest form of gratitude for a plentiful harvest.