Daegu-jjigae (Cod Stew)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide 3-quart heavy pot or shallow jeongol pan
• •Slotted spoon
• •Fine-mesh skimmer

Instructions

1. 1

   Salt the cod

   Sprinkle the cod with 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt and let it stand 10 minutes while you start the broth. Rinse briefly and pat dry. This tightens the surface and draws away a little blood and fishiness, but do not salt it longer, because cod is lean and dries quickly.

   If using fillets, cut them into 2-inch pieces. If using bone-in steaks, leave them whole. Bones give the broth a better body, and the fish stays gentler in the pot.
2. 2

   Make the broth

   Put the water, kelp, and cleaned anchovies in a wide pot. Bring it just to a simmer over medium heat, then remove the kelp before the water boils hard. Simmer the anchovies 8 minutes more and lift them out. Kelp left too long turns the broth slick and bitter, and this stew has nowhere to hide that mistake.

3. 3

   Cook the radish

   Add the radish, soup soy sauce, and fish sauce to the broth. Simmer 10 to 12 minutes, until the radish edges turn slightly translucent and a chopstick enters with a little resistance. The radish must sweeten the broth before the cod arrives, because the fish will not stay in the pot long enough to wait for it.

4. 4

   Season the pot

   Stir in the garlic, ginger, and gochugaru if using. Taste the broth now. It should be clean, lightly salty, and peppery, not heavy. Add only a pinch of salt if it tastes flat. A clear fish stew ruined by too much seasoning is still ruined, even if the fish was expensive.

5. 5

   Add the cod

   Lower the cod into the simmering broth in one layer. Spoon broth over the top instead of stirring, so the pieces do not break. Simmer gently 4 to 6 minutes for thick fillet pieces, 6 to 8 minutes for bone-in steaks, just until the thickest piece flakes when pressed. Turn off the heat the moment it does. Cod goes from tender to dry while a careless cook is looking for a larger spoon.

   Food safety still matters. Fish should be opaque and flake cleanly; if you use a thermometer, aim for 63 degrees C or 145 degrees F at the thickest point.
6. 6

   Finish green

   Add the soybean sprouts, chilies, scallions, and crown daisy or watercress, pressing them lightly into the hot broth. Cover for 1 minute off the heat so the greens soften without losing their shape. Finish with black pepper and carry the pot to the table with rice and one or two quiet banchan.

Chef Tips

• •Buy cod that smells clean, never strong, with flesh that springs back when pressed. If the market only has tired fish, cook another stew tonight. My teacher would have sent it back without a word.
• •Korean radish matters here because it sweetens the broth without clouding it. If you must substitute daikon, use the upper green shoulder when you can; it is sweeter than the narrow white end.
• •Keep this clear. Gochugaru is enough if you want warmth. Gochujang belongs to a different, heavier pot, and it will bury the cod.
• •Leftovers are delicate. Lift the fish out before refrigerating, store it with enough broth to cover, and rewarm gently below a boil. Hard reheating is how good cod becomes dry.

Advance Preparation

• •The anchovy-kelp broth can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Reheat it, then cook the radish and cod fresh.
• •The radish can be peeled and cut a day ahead and kept covered in cold water in the refrigerator. Drain before using.
• •Do not cook the cod ahead for this stew. Prepare the broth ahead instead, because the fish should meet the heat only once.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 560g)