Gwangeo-hoe (Sliced Raw Flatfish)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Long sharp sashimi knife or very sharp chef's knife
• •Clean plastic or synthetic cutting board reserved for fish
• •Chilled wide platter or hoe plate
• •Small bowls for sauces
• •Cooler bag with ice packs for transporting fish

Instructions

1. 1

   Buy safely

   Buy sashimi-grade gwangeo from a fishmonger who can tell you when it was cut and whether it has been handled for raw eating. Keep it in a cooler on the way home and refrigerate it below 4 degrees C. Do not use ordinary fish-counter fillets for hoe. Raw fish asks for trust, and trust has to come with proper handling, not hope.

   If you are pregnant, immunocompromised, elderly, or cooking for very young children, serve this table with cooked fish instead. Korean cooking bends; food safety does not.
2. 2

   Chill the setup

   Put the serving platter in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. Set a shallow tray of crushed ice nearby, not touching the fish directly unless your platter is designed to sit over it. Chill the fillet for 10 minutes in the coldest part of the refrigerator before slicing. Firm fish cuts clean; warm fish smears.

3. 3

   Make chojang

   Stir together the gochujang, rice vinegar, maesil-cheong, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, grated garlic, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Taste it from a spoon. It should be sharp first, then lightly sweet, with the gochujang underneath. Do not make it sugary. Gwangeo is mild, and a heavy sauce turns every bite into red paste.

4. 4

   Prepare the table

   Dry the lettuce and perilla leaves thoroughly and arrange them on a plate. Put the sliced garlic, green chilies, optional radish, chojang, ssamjang, and soy-mustard on the table before you cut the fish. Hoe should not wait while you hunt for side dishes.

5. 5

   Dry the fish

   Pat the gwangeo dry with clean paper towels. Dry the cutting board and knife too. This looks like fussing, but it is the difference between a slice with a clean, firm bite and one that feels wet and tired. If any part smells strong, sour, or fishy, stop and do not serve it raw.

6. 6

   Find the grain

   Lay the fillet on the board and look for the faint lines of the muscle. Turn the fillet so your knife will cut across those lines at a shallow angle. Across the grain gives a tender chew; with the grain gives long, stringy pieces that fight the mouth.

7. 7

   Slice cleanly

   With a very sharp long knife, slice the fish into pieces about 5 cm long, 2 cm wide, and 4 mm thick. Use one long pull of the blade for each slice, wiping the knife with a damp towel and then a dry towel when it starts to drag. Do not saw. Sawing bruises the flesh, and gwangeo shows every rough hand.

8. 8

   Plate cold

   Arrange the slices slightly overlapping on the chilled platter, leaving space so each piece can be lifted cleanly with chopsticks. Set the platter over crushed ice if the room is warm, but keep meltwater away from the fish. Serve within 15 minutes of slicing.

9. 9

   Eat as ssam

   For each wrap, lay one slice of gwangeo on a perilla leaf or lettuce leaf, add a pinhead amount of sliced garlic, one chili slice, and 1/4 teaspoon chojang or ssamjang. Fold and eat in one bite. The measure matters because too much garlic or sauce buries the fish, and this fish came to the table to be tasted.

Chef Tips

• •Ask for gwangeo prepared for hoe, not simply a flatfish fillet. Those are different promises. A proper raw-fish vendor works clean, keeps the fish cold, and knows the time between cutting and selling.
• •A long, sharp sashimi knife is helpful, but a well-sharpened chef's knife is better than a ceremonial dull one. The blade must be long enough to cut in one pull.
• •Do not rinse the sliced fish. If the fillet needs cleaning, pat it dry before cutting. Water on the cut surface dulls the texture and makes the slices look cloudy.
• •Chojang is served beside the fish, never mixed through it. Start with 1/4 teaspoon per wrap. If the first bite tastes mostly of sauce, use half as much on the next one.
• •If you buy a whole live flatfish and have it filleted, ask for the bones and head. After the hoe, they belong in maeuntang (spicy fish stew). That second pot is part of the pleasure of a Korean raw-fish dinner.

Advance Preparation

• •Wash and dry the lettuce, perilla leaves, chilies, and garlic up to 4 hours ahead. Keep the greens wrapped in a clean towel in the refrigerator so they stay crisp.
• •Chojang can be mixed up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Stir before serving, and taste again cold because vinegar and sweetness settle after resting.
• •Do not slice the fish ahead. Keep the fillet whole and cold, then slice just before serving. Once sliced, serve within 15 minutes and discard any leftovers that have sat at room temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 300g)