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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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Gejang is a Korean dish consisting of marinated crabs. The traditional marinade is usually based on soy sauce, and it goes under the name gejang gejang, while its spicier counterpart is known as yangnyeomgejang. The crabs are always alive when they are marinated, and it is recommended to prepare it with female crabs since they are usually filled with roe.
The dish is traditionally served with rice on the side.
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Stir-fried octopus is a classic Korean banchan (side dish). It is usually prepared with a small-sized octopus that is sliced and then fried in a flavorful combination of garlic, ginger, and gochujang chili paste, while other additions include sliced vegetables such as onions, scallions, cucumbers, chili peppers, or zucchinis.
The dish is usually served sprinkled with roasted sesame seeds and goes exceptionally well with hearty Korean soups and stews.
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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
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Haemuljeon is a traditional dish originating from South Korea. This type of jeon (pan-fried battered food) is made with a combination of seafood, scallions, eggs, flour, and oil. Seafood such as mussels, oysters, squid, shrimp, and clams are cut into bite-sized pieces and then mixed with the scallions, eggs, and flour.
Once battered, the mixture is pan-fried in hot oil on both sides until the pancake turns golden brown on both sides. Haemuljeon is served hot with a dipping sauce on the side. The dipping sauce usually consists of soy sauce, vinegar, red pepper flakes, sugar, and black pepper.
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 popular Korean snack consists of thin strips of dried squid (ojingeo chae) that are stir-fried together with gochujang-based chili paste and various additions such as garlic, soy sauce, or rice wine. The spicy snack is often served at bars and goes especially well with beer, but it is also commonly enjoyed as an accompaniment to rice or other Korean dishes.
It is typically served in small bowls and comes garnished with roasted sesame seeds. Ojingeo chae muchim is a similar dish in which the thin squid strips are merely coated in a spicy paste.
The star ingredient in this hearty Korean soup is fresh or marinated pollack roe (myeongnan). The soup consists of a spicy broth, typically dashi-based, which is seasoned with gochujang paste. Apart from the roe, the soup usually incorporates sliced daikon radish, scallions, bean sprouts, and occasionally tofu or other additions.
It is traditionally served with rice on the side, and it pairs well with soju—traditional Korean spirit.
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.
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