Name: Gul-kimchi (Oyster Kimchi)
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 3 h 40 min
Yield: About 2 liters, 8 to 10 banchan servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 1 medium napa cabbage (baechu), about 1.2kg, trimmed and cut into 5cm pieces; 8 cups cold water, for brining; 1/2 cup coarse Korean sea salt (cheonilyeom), about 80g, for brining; 300g Korean radish (mu), peeled and cut into 5cm matchsticks; 2 teaspoons fine sea salt, divided; 1 tablespoon sweet rice flour (chapssal-garu); 1/2 cup water, for rice paste; 1/2 cup gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes), about 45g; 3 tablespoons fish sauce (myeolchi-aekjeot or kanari-aekjeot); 2 tablespoons salted shrimp (saeujeot), finely minced; 6 garlic cloves, minced; 2 teaspoons peeled ginger, minced; 1/2 small Korean pear, peeled and grated, about 120g; 1 teaspoon sugar, optional, only if the pear is not sweet; 6 scallions, cut into 4cm lengths; 60g minari (Korean water parsley) or garlic chives, cut into 4cm lengths; 300g fresh shucked oysters labeled for raw eating, kept very cold and drained; 2 cups ice-cold water, for rinsing oysters

Question 1

How long does gul-kimchi with fresh oysters last?

Accepted Answer

Eat gul-kimchi within 48 hours of adding the fresh shucked oysters. Pack the oyster kimchi into a clean 2-liter glass container or small onggi, refrigerate it immediately, and serve it cold. Do not treat oyster kimchi like long-fermented storage kimchi.

Question 2

Can I ferment oyster kimchi at room temperature?

Accepted Answer

Do not ferment oyster kimchi at room temperature. Fresh oysters must stay cold because they are handled like raw seafood. For storage kimchi, ferment the seasoned napa cabbage without oysters, then fold fresh cleaned oysters only into the portion you will eat that day.

Question 3

What kind of oysters should I use for gul-kimchi?

Accepted Answer

Use 300 grams of fresh shucked oysters labeled safe for raw eating, preferably cold-water oysters in season. The oysters should smell clean and briny, never sour or metallic. Keep the oysters very cold, drain them well, and rinse them only right before mixing.

Question 4

When do I add oysters to kimchi?

Accepted Answer

Add the drained fresh oysters last, after the salted napa cabbage, salted Korean radish, scallions, and minari are fully coated with yangnyeom seasoning. Fold the oysters only 6 to 8 times. Gentle folding keeps the oysters plump instead of breaking them into the seasoning.

Question 5

Why is my oyster kimchi watery?

Accepted Answer

Oyster kimchi turns watery when the napa cabbage or Korean radish releases too much liquid. Salt the cabbage for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, drain it 20 to 30 minutes, and salt the radish for 10 minutes before squeezing. Do not skip the sweet rice paste.

Question 6

Can I make gul-kimchi ahead of time?

Accepted Answer

Make only the components ahead. Cook the sweet rice paste up to 2 days ahead, or mix the yangnyeom seasoning without oysters 1 day ahead and refrigerate it covered. Add the cabbage, greens, and freshly rinsed oysters only when finishing the gul-kimchi.

Ingredient	Quantity
napa cabbage (baechu)trimmed and cut into 5cm pieces	1 medium, about 1.2kg
cold waterfor brining	8 cups
coarse Korean sea salt (cheonilyeom)for brining	1/2 cup, about 80g

Culinary Explorer

Gul-kimchi (Oyster Kimchi)

Ingredients

napa cabbage (baechu)

cold water

coarse Korean sea salt (cheonilyeom)

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