Chef Jeong-sun
Agwi-jjim (Braised Monkfish with Bean Sprouts)
Firm monkfish buried under crisp soybean sprouts, minari, and a red gochugaru sauce thickened at the end; Masan's market dish asks for heat, timing, and a steady hand.
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Imyeonsu-gui (Grilled Atka Mackerel)
Created by
A weeknight grilled fish with crisp salted skin, moist white flesh, and enough savory oil to season a bowl of rice without needing a heavy sauce.
Main Dishes
Korean
Weeknight
Comfort Food
20 min
Active Time
12 min cook•32 min total
Yield2 servings
Imyeonsu-gui lives or dies by the skin. Put the fish down flesh-side first and you spend the rest of dinner apologizing to it. Skin-side first, over steady heat, the fat renders, the surface crisps, and the flesh underneath stays gentle. This is not a dish to bury under sauce. Let it taste like itself.
My teacher, Master Seong-nyeo, used to say the best old fish cooks knew the skin was half the meal. Some people ate that crisp skin with rice before touching the flesh. I wrote that down in Notebook 18, because a thing everyone says in passing is exactly the kind of thing that disappears. Salt the fish, wait long enough for the surface to dry, and cook it with patience. That is the whole instruction, but it has to be obeyed.
Tonight this dish asks for almost nothing grand: good fish, measured salt, a hot grill or pan, and restraint. Serve it with rice, kimchi, and one green namul if you have it. The dipping sauce is sharp and small, not a blanket. 손맛 is real. I still measure it, so it can be handed on.
Imyeonsu, usually identified in English as Atka mackerel or Arabesque greenling depending on market labeling, is a cold-water fish long eaten grilled or pan-fried along Korea's eastern coast and in northern-style home cooking. Its popularity grew through markets and home tables rather than court records, especially because the oily flesh salts well and the skin crisps cleanly over direct heat. In Korea it is commonly sold split, salted, and ready for gui (grilled fish), making it a practical weeknight fish with a loyal following.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
whole butterflied imyeonsu (Atka mackerel)
Quantity
1 fish, about 450 to 550g
cleaned and patted dry
coarse sea salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon
neutral oil
Quantity
1 teaspoon
for the grate or pan
toasted sesame oil (optional)
Quantity
1 teaspoon
for finishing the fish
soy sauce
Quantity
2 tablespoons
rice vinegar
Quantity
1 tablespoon
water
Quantity
1 tablespoon
scallion
Quantity
1 teaspoon
finely chopped
toasted sesame seeds
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) (optional)
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
cooked short-grain rice
Quantity
to serve
lemon wedge or Korean green chili (optional)
Quantity
optional
thinly sliced if using
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| whole butterflied imyeonsu (Atka mackerel)cleaned and patted dry | 1 fish, about 450 to 550g |
| coarse sea salt | 1 teaspoon |
| neutral oilfor the grate or pan | 1 teaspoon |
| toasted sesame oil (optional)for finishing the fish | 1 teaspoon |
| soy sauce | 2 tablespoons |
| rice vinegar | 1 tablespoon |
| water | 1 tablespoon |
| scallionfinely chopped | 1 teaspoon |
| toasted sesame seeds | 1/2 teaspoon |
| gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) (optional) | 1/4 teaspoon |
| cooked short-grain rice | to serve |
| lemon wedge or Korean green chili (optional)thinly sliced if using | optional |
Equipment Needed
- •Cast-iron skillet, grill pan, or broiler rack
- •Wide fish spatula
- •Rimmed tray
- •Paper towels or clean kitchen towels
Instructions
- 1
Salt the fish
Lay the butterflied fish skin-side down on a tray and sprinkle the flesh evenly with 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt. Let it stand 15 minutes. This short salting seasons the flesh and pulls surface moisture out, which is what helps the skin crisp instead of sticking and tearing.
If your fish was sold already salted, rinse a tiny flake from the thickest part and taste it. If it is clearly salty, skip the added salt and just dry the fish well. - 2
Dry it well
Pat both sides very dry with towels, especially the skin. Do not rush this. Wet skin steams against the pan and stays limp; dry skin meets hot metal and crisps. If you have 10 extra minutes, leave the fish uncovered in the refrigerator after salting and drying.
- 3
Mix the dip
Stir together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, scallion, sesame seeds, and gochugaru if using. Keep it thin and sharp. The fish is oily and already salted, so the sauce should cut through it, not make it heavier.
- 4
Heat the surface
Heat a grill pan, cast-iron skillet, or broiler-safe grill rack over medium-high heat. Brush with 1 teaspoon neutral oil. The surface should be hot before the fish touches it, but not smoking hard; too much heat burns the skin before the flesh cooks through.
- 5
Cook skin first
Place the fish skin-side down and press gently with a spatula for the first 20 seconds so the skin makes full contact. Cook 6 to 8 minutes without moving it. You are waiting for the skin to release on its own and turn deep golden in patches. If it sticks, it is telling you it is not ready.
- 6
Finish flesh side
Turn the fish carefully with a wide spatula and cook the flesh side 3 to 4 minutes, just until the thickest part flakes under chopsticks but still looks moist. If using sesame oil, brush on only 1 teaspoon at the end. Sesame oil burns easily, so it belongs at the finish, not at the start.
- 7
Serve at once
Move the fish to a platter skin-side up so the crisp side stays proud. Serve with rice and the soy-vinegar dip on the side. Eat the skin while it is still crisp, then the flesh with rice. That order is not ceremony. It is good sense.
Chef Tips
- •Buy imyeonsu with clear eyes if whole, a clean sea smell, and skin that looks taut, not dull. Frozen butterflied fish is common and fine; thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, then dry it more carefully than fresh fish.
- •A broiler works well. Put the fish skin-side up on an oiled rack set over a tray and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until the skin crisps, then lower the tray if the flesh needs another minute. The vessel can change. The skin-first logic stays.
- •Do not marinate this fish in soy sauce. Salt is enough. Soy on the surface burns quickly and hides the clean oily taste that makes imyeonsu worth buying.
Advance Preparation
- •The dipping sauce can be mixed up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Add the scallion just before serving if you want it brighter.
- •The fish can be salted, dried, and left uncovered in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours before cooking. Longer than that and the surface can dry too much for this simple home preparation.
- •Cooked fish is best eaten immediately. Leftovers can be flaked into rice the next day with kimchi and a little sesame oil, but the skin will not stay crisp.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 330g)
Calories
525 calories
Total Fat
21 g
Saturated Fat
5 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
16 g
Cholesterol
110 mg
Sodium
2150 mg
Total Carbohydrates
45 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
39 g
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