Hwangtae Gui (Grilled Dried Yellow Pollock)
A savory Korean dried yellow pollock dish pre-grilled with seasoned oil, then glazed and pan-grilled in a sweet and spicy gochujang sauce.
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 →
Coating thick dried yellow pollock with seasoned oil and pre-grilling it keeps the sauce from burning while ensuring the flesh cooks through tender. With its sweet and spicy gochujang seasoning soaking thoroughly, it works wonderfully as a daily side dish, an accompaniment for drinks, or a centerpiece for entertaining guests.
- Servings
- about 2 servings
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Dried pollack strips (hwangtae-po) (or dried pollock sheets)1 whole
Seasoned oil
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang)0.5 tbsp
- Toasted sesame oil1 tbsp
Seasoning sauce
- Gochujang (Korean red chili paste)2 tbsp
- Fine gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)1 tbsp
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang)1 tbsp
- Corn syrup (mulyeot)2 tbsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)2 tbsp
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Minced green onion2 tbsp
- Ginger powdera little of each
- Ground black peppera little of each
- Ground toasted sesame seeds1 tsp
- Even if you do not have hwangtae, you can make this using dried pollock (bukeo-po) or pollack fillets.
Steps
Soak the dried pollack strips briefly in water and gently squeeze out the moisture. You can also use bukeo-po (dried pollock).
Poke the skin side mercilessly with the tip of a knife.
This prevents it from curling up when grilled and helps the seasoning absorb well.
Mix 0.5 tbsp regular soy sauce and 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil, and spread this seasoned oil evenly over both sides.
Let it sit for a moment so it absorbs.
Mix all the sauce ingredients according to the recipe.
For fine gochugaru, simply grind regular gochugaru finely in a blender with a grinding function.
Place the yellow pollock in a pan and pre-cook it. Grill both sides.
If you brush on the seasoning sauce from the start, it will burn before cooking through, so for thick-fleshed yellow pollock, it is best to brush with seasoned oil and pre-cook like this.
Spread the sauce evenly over both sides and let it sit so the flavors absorb.
Oil a heated pan and cook over low heat.
Cover with a lid so it cooks thoroughly to the center.
Cut into bite-sized pieces and serve sprinkled with the remaining minced green onion and toasted sesame seeds.
Ppunwife's tips
- Poking the skin side with the tip of a knife prevents it from curling up when grilled and helps the seasoning soak in well.
- Brushing the seasoning sauce on from the beginning can cause it to burn before cooking through, so it is best to brush with seasoned oil and pre-cook first.
FAQ
Can I use other types of dried fish instead of hwangtae-po?
If you do not have dried yellow pollock, you can cook dried pollock (bukeo-po) or regular pollack fillets in the same way.
How do I keep the pollock from curling up while grilling?
Poking small incisions thoroughly across the skin side of the pollock with the tip of a knife reduces curling and helps the seasoning penetrate deeply.
Why do you pre-cook it with seasoned oil first?
If you apply the sauce from the start, the outside burns easily, so pre-cooking with seasoned oil first allows the flesh to cook evenly through to the center with a glossy finish.
What should I do if I don't have fine gochugaru?
You can place regular coarse gochugaru into a blender with a grinding function and grind it finely before use.
