Kkongchi Jorim (Braised Saury) with Spicy-Sweet Sauce
A braised fish dish of pacific saury simmered in a spicy seasoning sauce after precooking the radish.
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 →
In this dish, firm radish is half-cooked first with the seasoning sauce before adding the prepped pacific saury and vegetables to braise. Thoroughly washing away the blood from the saury cuts down any fishy odor, and spooning the broth over the fish as it simmers allows the seasoning to soak in deeply. It makes a wonderfully spicy main dish, and the leftover braising liquid is perfect for mixing with rice.
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Pacific saury2 whole
- Korean radish (mu)6 slices
- Onion1/2
- Large green onion (daepa)1/2 stalks
- Cheongyang chili pepper (hot green chili)1
- Red chili pepper1
- Anchovy broth (or water)2 cups
Seasoning sauce
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)1.5 tbsp
- Gochujang (Korean red chili paste)0.5 tbsp
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang)2 tbsp
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine) (or cheongju (Korean rice wine))2 tbsp
- Sugar0.5 tsp
- Ginger powdera little of each
- Ground black peppera little of each
- Gut the pacific saury, scrape away any clotted blood along the backbone, and wash thoroughly under running water. (Clean it thoroughly since this causes fishy odor. Also, soaking it in rice water for over 30 minutes greatly helps remove the fishiness.) Cut diagonally into 3 pieces.
- Soaking it in rice water for over 30 minutes greatly helps remove the fishy odor from the fish.
Steps
1. Before preparing the ingredients, combine the seasoning sauce ingredients in the listed amounts and mix well.
2. Gut the pacific saury, scrape away any clotted blood along the backbone, and wash thoroughly under running water.
(Clean it thoroughly since this causes fishy odor. Also, soaking it in rice water for over 30 minutes greatly helps remove the fishiness.)
Cut diagonally into 3 pieces.
3. Cut the Korean radish into 3-4 cm squares, 0.5 cm thick, and cut the half onion into large chunks.
Slice the large green onion and chili peppers thickly on a diagonal.
4. In a pan, add the radish, 1 cup of broth (or water), and half of the seasoning sauce, then bring to a boil. Once the radish is about half-cooked....
(For braised fish dishes that use radish, it is best to cook the firm radish halfway first.)
Add the saury, onion, large green onion, and chili peppers, pour in the remaining seasoning sauce and broth, cover with a lid, and bring to a boil over high heat.
Once it starts boiling, flip the saury once and simmer uncovered over medium heat, spooning the broth over the fish until the remaining liquid reduces down.
When about 1/3 of the broth remains, it is done. (You can make braised mackerel the same way.)
Ppunwife's tips
- For braised fish dishes that use radish, it is best to cook the firm radish halfway first.
- You can make braised mackerel the exact same way.
FAQ
How can I reduce the distinctive fishy smell of pacific saury?
Remove the entrails and thoroughly wash away any blood clots along the backbone under running water. In addition, soaking the fish in rice water for over 30 minutes effectively removes the fishy smell.
Why is the radish cooked first instead of being added right away with the saury?
Because radish is firm and takes longer to cook through, precooking it halfway with broth and half the seasoning allows it to absorb the flavors well and finish cooking at the same pace as the fish.
When should the lid be opened or closed during braising?
Start by covering with a lid and bringing it to a boil over high heat; once it boils, remove the lid and simmer over medium heat while spooning the liquid over the fish.
Can I cook this with another fish instead of saury?
Mackerel can also be prepared using the exact same method and seasoning.
