Any Fish Jorim
Fish jorims, braises such as eundaegu (black cod) and godeungeo (mackerel), are staples of Korean home cooking. This easy variation highlights the aromatic flavor of soy sauce, garlic and ginger, a combination that seeps into bone-in, skin-on fish. Steaks of black cod, mackerel and salmon work best here, as they seem almost to melt into rich silkiness, but you could use whatever fatty fish and cut you like. The whole red radishes in this recipe, replacing the more typical Korean radish slabs, gently boil in the salty-sweet liquid until tender, lending their vegetal sweetness to the velvety broth. A barely steamed, basically raw relish of scallions, red onion and jalapeño adds freshness and crunch.
- Total:
- Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients
- ½pound trimmed whole red radishes (from about 1 bunch)
- ¼cup soy sauce
- 2tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2large garlic cloves, crushed and minced
- 1(1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled, crushed and minced
- 1tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1teaspoon gochugaru
- 1 ½pounds bone-in, skin-on pieces of fatty fish, such as black cod, mackerel or salmon steaks
- 2scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal
- 1very small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1jalapeño, very thinly sliced into rings
- Steamed white rice, for serving
Instructions
Step 1
In a large, wide pot or Dutch oven, place the radishes, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, sugar and gochugaru. Add 1 1/2 cups cold tap water and bring to a boil over high, stirring once or twice, then lower the heat to maintain a gentle boil. Cover the pot and cook until the radishes start to get tender but are still slightly firm in the center, 5 to 7 minutes.Step 2
Gently nestle the fish pieces into the pot, using a spoon to baste the tops with some of the braising liquid. Bring the mixture back to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the radishes are meltingly tender and the fish is just cooked through or no longer opaque in the center, 9 to 12 minutes.Step 3
Evenly top the fish with the scallions, red onion and jalapeño. Turn off the heat, cover and let the vegetables steam until slightly less raw but still fresh and crunchy, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve the pot in the center of the table, family-style, with a ladle and bowls of fresh white rice.