maeuntang (spicy fish soup)
Maeuntang. Korean spicy fish soup. This dish is made with Korean chili pepper (the spicy) along with white-flesh fish (e.g. cod, snapper, monkfish, and not as often—catfish) The one I ate at home was always cooked with catfish—you don’t encounter it really in Korean restaurants stateside—but it’s delicious.
I remember trying maeuntang, with snapper, for the first time in my late teens before heading off to college. I was so surprised at the taste—the broth was piping hot, spicy, savory but also slightly sweet from the shrimp that was added. When I actually tasted the fish—it was like butter. I remember this moment very clearly—and I thought to myself: I need more of this in my life.
Fast forward to my mid-twenties, when I had a real, adult kitchen. It was during this time period that I thought back to my maeuntang experience and began experimenting. And now, in the present, I have something that I can cook at home, on a quiet Monday or Tuesday night and feel I’ve made the week a bit more pleasant, a bit more special. I’ve tested and edited this recipe for taste and simplicity in execution. This is something you’ll definitely be able to cook, and cook well. I hope you try it and enjoy :)
Ingredients:
For 2-3 servings
1 ½ to 1 ¾ pound of fish (white flesh, e.g. cod or snapper. I used red snapper for this recipe)
Typically I pick a whole fish at the Korean grocery store and have them remove the gills, fins, scales, etc. and cut it. For maximum flavor, you can use the entire fish, head and bones. I’ll be transparent, I do not use the head in the soup. It’s a quirk. I’ll fry a fish head and gladly eat it, but I can’t bring myself to eat it in a soup or stew—it’s like she’s looking at me sadly, from inside a red-colored sea of hot broth. Anyway…
4 whole shrimps, head on
4 cups of water
1 ½ cup of Korean radish, cut into slices 2 inches long and 1/3 of an inch thick
1/4 of a large white onion, sliced
2 scallions, ends trimmed, cut into 4 inch sections
1/2 of a Serrano pepper, sliced
1/2 a block of firm tofu, cut into 10 equal pieces (roughly 6-7.5 ounces depending on the brand)
1 ½ teaspoon of olive oil
For the soup base:
2 tablespoons of finely ground gochugaru (Korean chili pepper)
1 ½ tablespoons of gochujang
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
1 tablespoon of doenjang
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder
A look at some of the ingredients, pictured: Korean radish
Pictured; Doenjang, also known as soybean paste
Pictured: Shrimp and red snapper
Pictured: Sliced Serrano pepper, sliced onion and sliced Korean radish
Directions:
In a bowl, mix together the soup base ingredients. Set aside for later.
Apologies for the green reflecting off the spoon, that’s the reflection from the kitchen walls, promise!
Heat up a large, deep skillet, or pot on medium high heat.
Using the olive oil, fry the white onion and Serrano pepper for 2-3 minutes, until the onion softens.
Next, add the 4 cups of water.
Take the soup base mixture and stir/dissolve it into the water. This should take a minute (or two) for it to fully dissolve.
Next, add the Korean radish. Let this cook for 7-8 minutes.
After the 7-8 minutes, add the tofu, shrimp and fish to the skillet/pot.
Cook the soup, along with the proteins you’ve just added for another 6-7 minutes. Turn over the pieces of fish once during this time.
In the last minute of cooking the proteins, add and mix in the scallions.
This soup should be served as soon as you can possibly stand the temperature. It tastes best hot (temperature-wise)
Garnish with additional scallions—I also sprinkled some black pepper on top.
Serve with white rice and banchan, enjoy!
