Agwi-jjigae (Monkfish Stew)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide heavy pot or 3-quart ttukbaegi
• •Small mixing bowl for seasoning paste
• •Fine skimmer or ladle
• •Kitchen scissors for trimming minari

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean the fish

   Rub the monkfish pieces with the coarse salt, especially around the skin and bone, then rinse under cold water until the water runs clear. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, blanch the fish for 45 seconds, and rinse again. This is not fussing. Monkfish carries slime on the skin, and if you skip this, the stew tastes cloudy before it ever has a chance.

2. 2

   Make the broth

   Put 6 cups water, the kelp, and the prepared anchovies in a wide pot. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Pull the kelp out as soon as the water simmers, because kelp left too long turns the broth slick and bitter. Simmer the anchovies 10 minutes more, then remove them. Add the radish and simmer 6 minutes, until the edges begin to turn translucent.

3. 3

   Mix the seasoning

   In a small bowl, stir together the gochugaru, gochujang, soup soy sauce, fish sauce or salted shrimp liquid, garlic, ginger, doenjang, and black pepper. Use only 1 tablespoon gochujang. It gives body, but more than that makes the stew sweet and heavy, and the monkfish disappears.

4. 4

   Simmer the monkfish

   Stir the seasoning paste into the radish broth until it loosens. Add the monkfish pieces and onion, spooning broth over the fish so the seasoning reaches every piece. Simmer uncovered for 12 to 14 minutes, skimming once or twice. The fish is ready when the thickest piece turns opaque and firm, and the flesh pulls cleanly from the bone.

5. 5

   Add the sprouts

   Pile the soybean sprouts and napa cabbage, if using, over the fish. Cover the pot and cook 5 minutes without lifting the lid. Soybean sprouts have a temper: cook them covered the whole time or uncovered the whole time. Halfway checking gives them that raw bean smell everyone remembers for the wrong reason.

6. 6

   Finish green

   Uncover the pot, fold the sprouts gently into the broth, and taste. Add a teaspoon or two of soup soy sauce only if the broth needs salt. Scatter in the minari, scallions, green chili, and red chili, then simmer 1 minute. The minari should bend and stay green. Turn off the heat and add the sesame oil only if your fish is very lean.

7. 7

   Serve at once

   Carry the pot to the table with rice and mild banchan. Give each bowl broth, sprouts, radish, and a piece of fish, not just the pretty tail pieces. The gelatin near the bone is part of the dish, and someone at the table knows to look for it.

Chef Tips

• •Buy monkfish from a fishmonger who will cut it through the bone for stew. Tail meat alone is neat, but bone and skin give the broth its body. If the fish smells sharp or ammoniac, leave it there and cook another fish stew today.
• •Fresh minari is best in late winter through spring, when its bitterness is clean and bright. If your market has none, use crown daisy (ssukgat) or a small handful of sliced scallion tops, but add them at the end. Cook the month you're standing in.
• •Frozen monkfish is acceptable for stew. Thaw it slowly in the refrigerator, drain it well, salt-rub it, and blanch it. The corner you may cut is buying it already cut. The corner you may not cut is cleaning it properly.
• •For a thicker Masan-style feeling, mash 2 or 3 pieces of cooked radish against the side of the pot and stir them back in. Do not add starch slurry unless you are making agwi-jjim, the braised dish, not this jjigae.

Advance Preparation

• •The anchovy-kelp broth can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Add the radish when you reheat it so the radish does not turn watery and tired.
• •The seasoning paste can be mixed 1 day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Let it sit 10 minutes at room temperature before adding it to the pot so it dissolves evenly.
• •Do not cook the monkfish ahead if you can help it. Reheated monkfish tightens and the sprouts lose their clean crunch. If there are leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours and reheat gently only once.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 650g)