Haemul-jeongol (Seafood Hot Pot)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide shallow jeongol pan, 12 to 14 inches
• •Portable table burner or electric hot pot
• •Fine strainer
• •Kitchen shears
• •Shellfish brush

Instructions

1. 1

   Purge the shellfish

   Put the clams in 4 cups cold water mixed with 1 tablespoon salt for 30 minutes, then scrub them well. Scrub the mussels and pull away the beards. Discard any shellfish that stay open after a firm tap. This is not fussiness; one bad clam can spoil the whole pot.

   If your clams were sold already purged, still soak them 15 minutes and rinse. Sand in a jeongol is remembered longer than the broth.
2. 2

   Make clean broth

   Put the water, kelp, anchovies, 150g radish, 1/2 small onion, and dried shiitake mushrooms in a pot. Bring it slowly to a bare simmer over medium heat. Pull the kelp out as soon as the water trembles, about 8 to 10 minutes, because kelp left too long gives bitterness and a slick texture. Simmer the rest 15 minutes more, then strain. You should have about 5 1/2 cups broth.

3. 3

   Mix the seasoning

   Stir together the gochugaru, soup soy sauce, fish sauce, mirim, garlic, ginger, salt, black pepper, and 3 tablespoons of the warm broth to make a loose paste. Do not add gochujang here. This pot needs clarity, not sweetness and thickness. Taste the paste; it should be salty and clean, with chili warmth but no heaviness.

4. 4

   Cut the seafood

   Clean the crab and cut it into 4 pieces, keeping the shells because they sweeten the broth. Leave shrimp shells on for flavor, but devein them if you can. Cut the squid body into 1/2-inch rings and leave the tentacles in small clusters. If using octopus, rub it with 1 tablespoon coarse salt for 1 minute, rinse very well, and cut it into 2-inch pieces. The octopus goes in late, or it tightens like a rubber band.

5. 5

   Arrange the pot

   In a wide shallow jeongol pan, lay napa cabbage, the 200g sliced radish, onion, soybean sprouts, and tofu across the bottom. Set crab, clams, mussels, shrimp, squid, and mushrooms in separate sections over the vegetables, then spoon the seasoning paste in the center. Arrange by color before the broth goes in: white squid, red crab and chili, green minari, brown mushrooms, pale tofu. This lets the table see what it is eating, and it also cooks evenly because each ingredient has its place.

6. 6

   Start at the table

   Set the pot on a portable burner at the table. Pour in 4 cups of broth around the side, not directly over the seasoning paste, so the arrangement stays clear at first. Bring it to a lively simmer, then loosen the paste into the broth with a spoon. Keep the remaining broth warm nearby. Use less liquid than feels generous, because the seafood will release its own briny juices.

7. 7

   Cook in order

   Simmer 6 to 8 minutes, nudging the crab and shellfish down into the broth. When the clams and mussels open, move them to the side of the pot so they do not toughen. Add the squid and octopus only for the last 2 to 3 minutes. Lift the octopus the moment it curls and turns opaque; that is the tender point. Shrimp are done when they turn pink and firm. Discard any shellfish that do not open.

8. 8

   Finish green

   Lay the minari, scallions, sliced chilies, and crown daisy over the top for the final minute. They should bend and brighten, not collapse. Taste the broth now, after the seafood has spoken. Add salt 1/4 teaspoon at a time only if it tastes flat. Add warm broth if it grows too strong.

9. 9

   Serve and extend

   Serve directly from the shared pot with rice and small side dishes. When most of the seafood is gone, add cooked kalguksu noodles or udon to the remaining broth and simmer 2 to 3 minutes. That last bowl is why the first seasoning must be restrained; the broth concentrates as the table eats.

Chef Tips

• •Buy seafood the morning you cook if you can. Crab should feel heavy, shrimp shells should cling tightly, squid should look glossy, and clams should close when tapped. If one item is poor, leave it out and add more of the good thing. The pot will forgive absence faster than bad seafood.
• •A wide shallow pan matters. Jeongol is arranged and cooked at the table, so a deep soup pot hides the ingredients and cooks the bottom too hard before the top is ready.
• •Keep the seasoning red but light. Gochugaru gives color and clean heat; gochujang makes the broth sweet and muddy. Haemul-jeongol should taste of the sea first.
• •Minari is best in cool months and early spring, when the stems are crisp and fragrant. If your market's minari is tired, use scallion and a small handful of crown daisy instead. Cook the month you're standing in.
• •For a less spicy table, reduce the gochugaru to 1 tablespoon and add 1/2 teaspoon more soup soy sauce. Do not replace the missing chili with sugar.

Advance Preparation

• •The anchovy-kelp broth can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Reheat it before pouring it into the jeongol pan so the table cooking starts cleanly.
• •The seasoning paste can be mixed 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Stir in a spoonful of warm broth before using so it loosens easily.
• •Vegetables can be cut 6 hours ahead and refrigerated in separate containers. Clean seafood the day you cook, and keep it cold until the pot is arranged.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 850g)