Clear and Refreshing Dongtae Jjigae (Pollock Stew)
A clear, refreshing stew made by simmering frozen pollack and Korean radish in anchovy broth.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
This hangover-friendly stew uses anchovy broth to keep the soup light, clear, and refreshing rather than heavy. Carefully scraping away the scales and cleaning out the blood from the frozen pollack is the key to broth free of fishiness. Paired with Korean radish, soybean sprouts, and water dropwort, it delivers a crisper, spicier taste.
- Servings
- about 3–4 servings
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Frozen pollack1 whole
- Crayfish4
- Tofu1/4 block
- Korean radish (mu)100 g
- Soybean sprouts1 handful
- Water dropwort (minari)1 handful
- Large green onion (daepa)1 stalk
- Cheongyang chili pepper (hot green chili)2
- Red chili pepper2
- Kelp and anchovy broth4-5 cups
Seasoning
- Garlic1 tbsp
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)2 tbsp
- Salt1 tsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)1 tbsp
- Ground black pepper
- Gently scrape off the dark residue and scales on the pollack skin with the tip of a knife, remove the innards, and thoroughly scrape and wash the areas with coagulated red blood. Discard the gallbladder.
- Adding shrimp, crayfish, or blue crab to make the broth adds a refreshing taste; if you have none, brew the broth a bit richer and simmer.
- You can also add crown daisy or perilla leaves as extra vegetables.
Steps
There are dark residue and scales on the skin of frozen pollack. You need to scrape these off gently with the tip of a knife.
You might wonder if frozen pollack really has scales, but it definitely does. The first time I bought frozen pollack, I only took out the innards and boiled it, and the stew turned out completely inedible. My mother-in-law told me that the skin also needs thorough cleaning.
Remove the innards and thoroughly scrape and rinse the parts where red blood has clotted.
The pollack I cleaned today had a lot of roe inside. You cannot eat the gallbladder, so discard it.
If you ask the fishmonger, they can clean it and pack only the edible parts for you.
Adding a few shrimp or crayfish to the broth gives it an even more refreshing flavor.
Blue crab is great too. If you do not have any, you can make the broth a bit richer.
Prepare the essentials for the soup: Korean radish, soybean sprouts, water dropwort, tofu... crown daisy is also great.
Slice a few perilla leaves, and slice the large green onion, Cheongyang chili peppers, and red chili peppers like this.
While you can also make a hangover soup spicy and rich, today I used clean anchovy broth to bring out only the flavor of the frozen pollack. Because you drink a lot of broth, if the broth is too rich, it can feel heavy on the stomach.
Pour in 4-5 cups of kelp and anchovy broth and add the Korean radish to boil.
Once it starts boiling after adding the radish, add the frozen pollack and crayfish and bring to a boil.
Add the remaining vegetables and tofu...
Season to taste with gochugaru, ground black pepper, and salt.
I kept the seasoning very light, so you can adjust and add more than the amounts listed above to suit your taste.
Ppunwife's tips
- You must cleanly scrape away the scales on the pollack skin and the red blood inside the cavity to keep the broth clean and free of fishiness.
- When making this as a hangover soup, you drink a lot of broth, so using a clean, light anchovy broth rather than one that is too rich sits comfortably on your stomach.
FAQ
How can I reduce the fishy smell when prepping frozen pollack?
Scrape off the dark impurities and scales on the skin with the tip of a knife, remove the innards, and thoroughly wash away the clotted red blood so the broth tastes clean.
Can I use other seafood instead of the crayfish?
Adding shrimp or blue crab will also bring out a refreshing flavor, and if you have no seafood, brewing the anchovy broth a bit richer works well too.
Are there any pollack innards that must be discarded?
You can boil and eat the roe in the stew, but the bitter-tasting gallbladder must always be removed and thrown away.
What should I do if I want a spicier, sharper broth? AI-generated
You can generally adjust the heat to your taste by increasing the amount of Cheongyang chili peppers or gochugaru.
