Hwangtae Yuksu (Dried Pollock Stock)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •3 to 4 quart heavy pot
• •Fine sieve
• •Large storage container

Instructions

1. 1

   Check the pollock

   Pick through the hwangtae and shake off any fine dust. If the pieces are large, tear them into strips about 3 inches long. Do not rinse unless they are sandy, because water washes away the clean dried-fish flavor you are asking the stock to give.

2. 2

   Start cold

   Put the hwangtae, cold water, kelp, radish, onion, scallions, and garlic into a heavy pot. Starting cold matters. The dried pollock gives itself up slowly, and the radish sweetens the broth before the pot gets rough.

3. 3

   Pull the kelp

   Set the pot over medium heat and bring it just to a gentle simmer, about 10 to 12 minutes. As soon as small bubbles gather around the kelp, lift the kelp out. Leave it too long and the broth turns slick and faintly bitter, and then no amount of polite straining will fix it.

   Wipe dusty kelp with a barely damp cloth instead of washing it. The white bloom on good dasima is flavor, not dirt.
4. 4

   Simmer gently

   Lower the heat so the stock murmurs, not boils hard, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Skim only if foam gathers heavily. A hard boil makes hwangtae taste blunt and fishy; a quiet simmer keeps the broth pale and clean.

5. 5

   Rest and strain

   Turn off the heat and let the pot stand 10 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing lightly on the radish and pollock, not crushing them. You should have about 8 cups of pale gold stock. If you have much more, simmer it 5 to 10 minutes longer; if you have less, add water back to 8 cups.

6. 6

   Season only if serving

   Leave the stock unsalted if it will become soup, jjigae, or porridge. If you are drinking it plain, season 2 cups with 1/8 teaspoon salt at a time, tasting after each addition. 손맛 is real, the hand-taste your grandmother trusted, and I still measure it so the next bowl knows where to begin.

   For hwangtae-guk, save the strained pollock pieces, tear them finer, and cook them back into the soup with beaten egg and scallion.

Chef Tips

• •Buy hwangtae that is pale yellow, dry, and light in the hand, with a clean sea smell. If it smells sharp or oily, leave it at the market.
• •The sesame oil is optional. For a neutral stock, leave it out. For stock meant for hwangtae-guk, that one measured teaspoon gives the broth a rounder body without making it greasy.
• •Do not salt the main pot unless you know exactly where it is going. Soup soy sauce, fish sauce, doenjang, and kimchi all bring salt later, and a stock should leave room for the dish that will inherit it.

Advance Preparation

• •The stock keeps 4 days in the refrigerator. Chill it quickly, uncovered until warm, then covered once cold.
• •Freeze in 2-cup portions for up to 2 months. That is enough for a small pot of bugeo-guk, rice porridge, or a clean noodle broth on a weeknight.
• •The strained pollock can be refrigerated separately for 2 days and folded into soup, seasoned rice, or jeon batter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 240g)