Crispy and Savory Homemade Eomuk (Fish Cake)
Homemade eomuk made by mixing minced vegetables with frozen pollack, shrimp, and squid, then deep-frying until crispy for an everyday side dish.
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 →
Squeeze the moisture thoroughly from frozen pollack, shrimp meat, and squid, mix with minced vegetables, and deep-fry. Cheongyang chili peppers add a pleasant spicy kick, and piping the dough from a plastic bag makes shaping round or oblong fish cakes easy. The key is frying slowly at a lower oil temperature so the outside doesn't burn before the inside cooks through.
- Servings
- about 3–4 servings
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Mildly spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Frozen pollack1 whole
- Shrimp meata little
- Squid body1 whole
Vegetables
- Carrot1/2
- Onion1/2
- Red chili pepper2
- Cheongyang chili pepper (hot green chili)2
Seasoning
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)1 tbsp
- Salt1 tsp
- Sugar1 tsp
- Ground black pepper1 tsp
Batter
- Flour (or frying mix (twigim-garu))3 tbsp
- Egg white2 large
- Potato starch2 tbsp
- Pollack skin peels off easily while it is still frozen. If you thaw it first, the flesh sticks and it becomes difficult to remove.
- Roughly chop the squid and pollack, wrap them tightly in cheesecloth, and squeeze out the moisture thoroughly. If the mixture is too wet, you will need too much flour, which ruins the flavor.
- You can use any ingredients you like instead of pollack, shrimp meat, and squid.
- You can substitute bell peppers for the chili peppers.
- After mixing, let the batter rest for about 20 minutes so the seasonings meld together.
Steps
I bought a few frozen pollacks because they were cheap and let them sit in the freezer for over a month, so I peeled the skin, removed the bones, and prepped them.
Pollack skin peels off easily while still frozen. If you thaw it first, the flesh clings to the skin and it doesn't work well.
I also had shrimp meat that had been sitting for a while, so I got that ready too. For the squid, just the body... the legs went into pancakes a few days ago.
Roughly chop the squid and pollack, wrap them tightly in cheesecloth, and squeeze out the moisture thoroughly.
If it gets too watery, you have to add too much flour when making the batter and it won't taste as good.
You can use whatever other ingredients you have on hand instead of these.
Finely mince the carrot, onion, and chili peppers.
I used Cheongyang chili peppers and red chili peppers to make it spicy.
You can substitute bell peppers instead.
In a bowl, combine the ground fish from the food processor, the minced vegetables, the seasonings above (garlic, salt, pepper, sugar, mirin), egg whites, flour, and potato starch, then mix well.
If it feels a bit too wet, adjust the consistency with a little flour.
Once the batter is mixed, let it sit for about 20 minutes so the flavors can meld together.
Put the batter into a plastic bag, snip off the tip, and pipe small portions right into the oil.
You can pipe them long, or pipe small bits to make little round fish cakes.
If the oil temperature is too high, the outside will burn while the inside stays raw.
Fry them slowly at a low temperature until golden brown, be sure to do this!
Here is the finished homemade eomuk. Nothing difficult about it, right?
These are the fish cakes fried into round shapes.
These are the oblong-shaped fish cakes.
Shape and fry them however you like. The kids will love them.
When you make such wonderful fish cakes at home using clean, nutritious ingredients, your whole family will be happy. Store-bought fish cakes probably have far too much flour.
Sometimes they are so chewy they are downright tough.
Have a wonderful day and enjoy your meals.
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If you love fish cakes, hit like.
Author: Ppunwife (http://blog.naver.com/ppunwife/140042507254)
Ppunwife's tips
- If the oil temperature is too high, the outside will burn while the inside stays raw, so fry slowly at a low temperature until golden brown.
- If the batter feels a bit too wet, adjust the consistency by adding a little flour.
FAQ
Is there an easy way to peel pollack skin?
Peeling it while it is still rock-hard and frozen keeps the flesh from tearing away and gives you a clean separation compared to peeling it thawed.
Can I use other vegetables instead of spicy chili peppers?
Yes, you can substitute bell peppers for the spicy Cheongyang chili peppers or red chili peppers.
What should I do if the batter is too loose?
If the batter feels too wet, simply add flour a little at a time until you reach the right consistency.
How should I manage the heat when frying the fish cakes?
If the oil is too hot, the exterior can burn before the inside finishes cooking, so fry slowly over low heat at a lower oil temperature until golden brown all over.
