Korean Fish Recipes

Korean cuisine is based on noodles, rice, meats, vegetables and tofu, although there are also some famous fish recipes. A traditional meal in Korea is steamed short-grain rice with lots of different side dishes. Common ingredients in this cuisine include soy sauce, garlic, salt, sesame oil, fermented bean paste, pepper, ginger and fermented red chili paste. The recipes vary by province and a lot of regional dishes now have national fame.

Meat used to be obtained by fishing and hunting and it was eaten in stews or soups or roasted at this time. People who lived nearer to the sea would have eaten more fish. Shellfish and seafood have always been very popular in Korea and commoners lived on a diet of shellfish and fish like clams, oysters, shrimp, loach, and abalone. Hogs and sheep were reserved for the upper class.

Saltwater fish and fresh ones are both popular there and they might be grilled, broiled, served, served raw or added to stews and soups. Mackerel, croaker, Pacific herring, and hairtail are well loved and smaller fish, squid, shrimp and more can be salted and dried.

Fish is grilled in fillets or whole and it is often dried naturally so it can be stored or shipped. Anchovies and yellow corvina feature in Korean dishes and soup stocks are sometimes made from kelp and dried anchovies. Shellfish are added to broth, eaten raw with a vinegar condiment, or used in other dishes. Salted baby shrimp are used for seasoning and bigger ones are grilled or dried. Squid, octopus, and cuttlefish are examples of mollusks, which are enjoyed there.

How To Make Braised Halibut

Koreans enjoy braising food and you can use any firm-fleshed fish for the following recipe, such as red snapper, cod, or striped bass. You might like to add red pepper paste to the sauce if you prefer a spicier flavor. This recipe serves four people.

What You Need:

• 2 lbs halibut
• 1/2 sliced white onion
• 1 Korean radish, in 1/2 inch thick 1 inch rectangles
• The green part only of 5 scallions, in 1 inch pieces
• Vegetable oil

For The Sauce:

• 3 cups water
• 3 thinly sliced garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons chili pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 thinly sliced piece of fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine
• 1 hot red Korean pepper, in 1/2 inch pieces

How To Make It:

Combine the sauce ingredients. Coat the bottom of a big pot with oil and heat it over a moderately high heat. Add the onion and radish and pour in the sauce ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil. Put the halibut on top of the vegetables and braise it, in the sauce.

Simmer the dish for about fifteen minutes or until the radish is tender. Baste the fish often but try not to disturb it much while it cooks. Add the green onions a couple of minutes before the end of the cooking time.