Since Korea is a peninsula, it should be no surprise that Korean cuisine includes a lot of seafood. Koreans love their fish, especially cooked and served whole, and also eat shellfish, squid, octopus, and almost everything else under the sea.
This spicy Korean pickled squid (ojinguh jut) packs a lot of flavor, so it's the perfect accompaniment to a traditional Korean meal with rice and soup or stew.
This spicy seafood salad features a spicy Korean dressing for both the seafood and the greens. I usually make it with shrimp and squid, but it is also very good with abalone, scallops, tuna, or a mix of different seafoods. The Korean love affair with chili peppers is well known, so it should be no surprise that we even manage to add chili spice to Western-style dishes like tossed salads.
Hwe Dub Bap combines three things that Koreans love: raw seafood, rice, and spicy sauces. This big bowl of sushi-grade raw fish, vegetables, and rice is served with a spicy-sweet sauce on the side, so that everyone can mix it to their personal spice levels.
The light but sweet flavor of this soup comes from dried pollack, which is sold in Korean and Asian markets. It is healthy, very easy to make, and costs almost nothing. You can make a big pot of this soup for less than $5.
Korean deep fried shrimp is easy to make and has a thin and extra crispy batter. Korean deep frying mix, which can be found in many Asian grocery stores, is a mix of flours and seasonings that make frying simple. These deep fried shrimp (saewoo twigim) can be made in 15 minutes but are so delicious that I like to serve them as one of the main dishes for dinner guests or special occasion meals.
Almost any white fish works well in this recipe, and the thin coating of egg and flour make it easy to eat and prepare. Good with spicy dipping sauces or just soy sauce, kids and even meat-eaters love this sauteed fish.
Soondubuchigae is a spicy Korean stew that manages to be both hearty and healthy at the same time.
These spring rolls are made with perilla leaves and kochujang (chili pepper paste), two common Korean ingredients. I first made these rolls because I had all the ingredients for SE Asian spring rolls except for the herbs (Thai basil, mint, cilantro). I had Italian basil, but I also had a bunch of fresh perilla leaves from the garden. Since perilla is in the mint family, I just knew it would work.
This thick, fragrant stew is a Korean comfort food especially popular in the cold winter months. Daenjang chigae is wonderfully hearty and can be made with fish or shrimp and almost any vegetables you have on hand.
This delicious broiled salmon is easy to prepare and impressive looking for dinner guests if you use either salmon steaks or a side of salmon. Good for Korean meals and also with American sides or salads, it's a very versatile recipe which is also wonderful on the grill.
Koreans love broiled fish that is either cooked whole or sliced in half and cooked until the skin is crisp and sizzling. Broiling is a easy and mess-free way to make almost any type of fish, and a side dish portion is easily done in the toaster oven on the broil setting. I usually ask the people at the fish counter to remove the spine, head, and tail so that I'm left with two halves of the mackerel with the skin on.
This fish-based broth is the traditional base for Korean soups and stews. Although meat broth has become more popular in recent years, this anchovy soup stock is still a staple in Korean cooking. It doesn't have a strong fish odor, but adds a deep and savory element when used in cooking Korean soups and stews.
