Holy Mackerel! Braised Mackerel with Radish that's So Good It's Outta This World

Braised Mackerel (고등어 조림) is a traditional Korean main dish that used to be served on a special occasion, like a birthday or a holiday. Mackerel might have become more popular over time since the back-in-the-days, but braising it took a long time and was rather complicated so only the experienced home cooks would dare try making it. You have to be so careful to thoroughly cook the fish, making sure your dish is absent of any "fish smell," all the while ensuring that the accompanying veggies are of the right softness and marination.

So even though I've been a fan of this dish, I never dared to try making this dish until I came across Baek Jong-won's recipe. However, watching Baek create this, I felt like I could do it! And as you might imagine, his recipe was so easy that even my very first attempt resulted in an amazing taste (and presentation). Now I can't wait to make this for every future special occasion :)

1. Ingredients

• Korean radish - ½ of a large Korean radish, skin peeled (see the picture collage below; I used about 1/2 of this)

• Mackerel - approximately 1.5 lbs of trimmed & guts-removed mackerel (see the below picture collage for reference)

• Green onion - 1 bunch of thin (regular-size) green onion, cut into approximately 3-inch pieces

• Onion - 1 onion, peeled and cut into approximately 2-inch by ½-inch slices

• Sugar - 1TBSP

• Minced garlic - 1.5 TBSP

• Korean miso paste (된장, looks like this when you try to buy it from a Korean grocery store) - 1 TBSP

• Perilla seed oil (들기름) - 2 TBSP

• Regular soy sauce (진간장) - ½ cup (be careful not to use Korean soy sauce for soup, which is called 국간장... Confused? This might help)

• Optional: Korean red chili peppers - approximately 3 peppers, sliced thinly

• Optional: Add ⅓ TBSP of minced ginger

1. Recipe

• Prep an aluminum foil "lid"

• Make a rectangular "lid" out of aluminum foil that will fit inside the pot by folding corners of an aluminum foil sheet (see the below picture collage for reference)

• Prep vegetables

• Radish - peel the skin then slice the radish into approximately 1-inch-thick pieces

• Green onion - cut one bunch of green onion into approximately 3-inch pieces

• Onion - cut one whole onion in half, then slice them into approximately ½-inch slices

• Optional: Slice about 3-4 red Korean chili peppers thinly

• Prep mackerel

• Rinse mackerel in cold, running water quickly

• Cut into approximately 1-inch-thick pieces (see the below picture collage for reference)

• Layer ingredients in a pot

• First, place the radish to the bottom of a large, wide-bottom pot

• Then, place the mackerel pieces on top of the radish layer

• Add the veggie mix (green onion, onion, and optionally Korean red chili peppers) on top of the mackerel layer

• Add water

• Add water until about half of the mackerel layer is submerged (see the below picture collage for reference)

• Gently shake the pot so that the water will be evenly distributed to the bottom of the radish layer, preventing it from burning

• Cook & marinate

• Place the pot into a stove and turn the heat to a medium-high setting

• Add the following ingredients evenly to the pot

• Add 1 TBSP of sugar

• Optional: Add ⅓ TBSP of minced ginger

• Add 1.5 TBSP of minced garlic

• Add 1 TBSP of Korean miso paste (된장)

• Add 2 TBSP of perilla oil (들기름)

• Add 4 TBSP of the Korean chili powder (고춧가루)

• Add 1 cup of water evenly to the pot to help the chili powder dissolve

• Add 1/2 cup of soy sauce (진간장)

• Note: Your pot should start boiling by this time. If not, wait to proceed to the next step until the pot starts boiling

• Place the aluminum foil lid on top of the pot then gently press so that there is no air space between the stew and the foil (see the picture)

• Turn the heat down to medium to medium-low then simmer for at least 20 to 30 minutes (depending on your stove)

• Turn off the heat completely and let the pot sit for at least 5 minutes before serving

That's it! You can serve this with a bowl of steamed rice (or any other favorite carb of your choice) and other side dishes as you prefer.

Extras:

• I did not put minced ginger while trying out this recipe but it turned out just fine, FYI :)

• I prefer adding a little bit of Korean red chili pepper slices -- they add a nice kick to the dish if you like it spicy.

• For a visual reference, check out this YouTube clip where Baek Jong-won creates this amazing dish. The clip should help you visualize the cooking process, even if you don't understand Korean.

#kfood #recipe #koreanfood #baekjongwon #korean #food #pork #shishitopeppers #porkbelly