Korean Spicy Braised Mackerel (Godeungo Jorim)

Korean Spicy Braised Mackerel, arranged with all ingredients and ready for steaming. Images by Emily Miller.

Daikon radish, green onion, garlic, and red chile peppers.

This is a traditional Korean recipe, godeungeo jorim, which is also commonly adapted to black cod/sablefish (eundaegu jorim). Jorim, meaning “braised,” is a cooking style that is widely adaptable to many types of fish available in San Diego.

A one-pot dish, it combines a simplicity of preparation with complex flavors.

Whole fish is commonly cut into steaks for this recipe, but fillets and loin portions are also excellent/perfectly suitable if you are not adept at plucking bones from your meal.

Fish collars can also be prepared in this style.

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Ingredients

Serves 4 people.

• 4 whole Pacific mackerel, large

  • Or 1 large black cod, or 2 pounds loin or fillet of your fish of choice

• 1 large daikon radish

• 1 onion

• Bundle of green onions

• Bundle of red Korean chile peppers (substituted with red bell peppers)

• 1 cup water

For seasoning

• ½ cup soy sauce

• 2 tablespoon sesame seed oil

• 1 tablespoon gochujang (korean red pepper paste)

• 2 tablespoons white sugar

• 4 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)

• 5 large cloves garlic, minced

• 1 “thumb” of ginger, minced

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Daikon radish, sliced.

Seasoning mixture is spooned onto fish of choice (mackerel pictured).

Step 1

Mince garlic and ginger, and mix them thoroughly in a small bowl with the other ingredients for your seasoning.

Chop onion into thin slices. Chop green onions into 2-inch sections. If using korean red chile pepper, chop into small sections.

Step 2

Peel the daikon radish, and chop it into quarter-inch slices.

Step 3

Prepare your whole mackerel by slicing off the fins and heads and removing the guts. 

Cut into 3-inch “steaks”, then cut those sections in half along the backbone.

Step 4

Arrange the onion slices and daikon radish slices in the bottom of a pot or a deep pan.

Step 5

Layer the mackerel sections on top of the daikon & onion.

Generously heap spoonfuls of the seasoning mixture on top of the mackerel sections until they are covered.

Step 6

Arrange the green onion and red chile pepper on top of everything! Now it looks quite pretty. 

Korean dining is traditionally composed of many dishes, with rice accompanying each bite. Be sure to have enough rice to go with your braised fish and the broth it is cooked in!

Turn the heat up to its highest setting on the stovetop. Pour the cup of water into your pot or pan. The water will steam the fish and vegetables, keep them from burning, and create a spicy broth that is excellent over rice!

Step 7

Allow the pot to reach a boil, then turn the burner down to a low simmer for 15 minutes, or until the mackerel is fully cooked.

Smaller pieces of fish cook faster, so keep that in mind if you choose to use a different species of fish!

Step 8

Serve hot, in a bowl, with fresh white rice on the side!  

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