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This gimbap (Korean rice roll) is made with canned tuna. Apart from rice and fish, the fillings may include other ingredients that are typically used in gimbap such as fresh or pickled vegetables, eggs, or fish cakes, while the tuna is often mashed and then combined with mayonnaise, mustard, and spices.
The roll is traditionally wrapped in toasted seaweed, and it is served sliced into small, bite-size pieces.
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Godeungeo gui is a traditional fish dish originating from South Korea. The dish is made with a combination of mackerel (skin-on, head and tail removed), vegetable oil, salt, and lemon wedges. The fish is seasoned with salt on both sides, rinsed, dried, and then pan-fried, grilled over an open flame, or placed under a broiler.
The mackerel is grilled, broiled, or fried on both sides until the skin becomes slightly crispy. Before serving, the fish is sprinkled with lemon juice and the dish is ready to be enjoyed. If desired, add a bit of grated ginger over the top of the mackerel as well.
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Maeutang is a spicy Korean fish stew that is usually made with freshwater or saltwater fish such as red snapper, pollock, cod, monkfish, or sea bass. Traditionally, a whole fish is used in the dish, including the head and the bones. The fish is cut into pieces and is then simmered in an anchovy-based broth together with vegetables and occasionally tofu, while the whole dish is usually spiced with gochujang chili paste and chili pepper flakes.
In some restaurants, the guests are often allowed to choose the fish from the aquarium, which will eventually be used in their stew. Although the term maeuntang roughly translates merely as spicy stew, it is usually used to denote this fish-based variety.
MOST ICONIC Maeuntang
Hoedeopbap is a Korean rice bowl that is topped with raw fish and slices of fresh vegetables. Although similar to the Japanese kaisendon, this Korean version is finished off with the addition of a sweet and spicy sauce that usually combines gochujang (chili paste), vinegar, garlic, and sugar.
The most common fish varieties used in the dish are salmon, tuna, sea bass, or halibut which may be sliced or cut into thin strips. The key to every hoedeopbap is to use only high-quality, fresh ingredients, and to serve the dish well-chilled.
This spicy South Korean dish is traditionally prepared with monkfish or angler. The traditional Masan-style version is made by drying the fish and then steaming it with gochugaru chili flakes and doenjang soybean paste. Other versions available throughout the country are usually braised with the spicy sauce, and both types are traditionally accompanied by bean sprouts, minari (water dropwort), sea squirt (mideodeok), or shrimps.
It is believed that the dish was created sometime in the 1940s at a Masan fish market in Changwon. Since monkfish and angler have somewhat of an ugly appearance, the species were largely ignored by the fishmongers and the general public. Nowadays, the fish is considered a delicacy because of its firm but tender flesh, and it usually comes with a high price tag.
This hearty Korean soup consists of mudfish (loach), chili paste, soybean paste, and ginger, while the most common additions include various green vegetables such as mustard greens, scallions, and cabbage. In Seoul, the soup is prepared with the whole fish, but the most popular version comes from Namwon where the mudfish is typically ground.
Chueotang is praised for its health benefits and is best consumed from July throughout November when the mudfish are in season. It usually comes served with rice and traditional Korean side dishes (banchan).
Hailing from the province of Jeolla, hongeo or hongeo-hoe is a South Korean specialty that consists of skate that gets fermented in its urine. This cartilaginous fish is known to eliminate urine through its skin, thus allowing for natural fermentation to take place in the flesh and helping to preserve it.
The process lends the fish its signature aromas that bring to mind the strong and pungent odors of ammonia and dirty public toilets. As this unpleasant odor follows diners long after they’ve had their share of hongeo, restaurants which specialize in this delicacy often offer their customers services such as keeping their jackets in sealed bags and spraying them with deodorant upon leaving.
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Daegujeon is a traditional dish originating from South Korea. This type of jeon (pan-fried battered food) is made with a combination of cod fillets, flour, eggs, garlic, scallions, salt, white pepper, and oil. The cod fillets are seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic, coated with flour, and dipped into a mixture of beaten eggs and chopped scallions.
Once battered, they are pan-fried in hot oil on both sides until golden brown. Daegujeon is served hot with a dipping sauce on the side. The sauce usually consists of soy sauce and vinegar.
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Saengseonjeon is a traditional dish originating from South Korea. This type of jeon (pan-fried battered food) is made with a combination of white fish fillets, flour, eggs, salt, and oil. White fish such as pollock, sea bream, or grey mullet is filleted, seasoned with salt, and then coated with flour and dipped in beaten eggs.
The fish is pan-fried in oil on both sides until golden brown, and it's then served hot with a dipping sauce on the side. Traditionally, Saengseonjeon was prepared during special holidays such as New Year or Chu-seok (Korean thanksgiving), but nowadays it's more commonly found in restaurants throughout the year.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Hongeojjim is a traditional fish dish originating from South Korea. Although there are many variations, the dish is usually made with a combination of skate fish wings, eggs, sesame oil, sake, salt, pepper, scallions, and gochugaru chili flakes.
The skate wings are seasoned with salt and pepper on both sides and steamed for a few minutes. The sake and sesame oil are poured over the fish and it's steamed again until fully cooked and opaque. Meanwhile, the eggs are whisked and cooked into a thin omelet that's sliced into strips and used as a garnish along with thinly sliced scallions and gochugaru, and the dish is then ready to be enjoyed.
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