Jang-eo-gui (Grilled Eel)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Charcoal grill, gas grill, or ridged cast-iron grill pan
• •Small saucepan for glaze
• •Fish tweezers
• •Pastry brush
• •Kitchen scissors or sharp knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the eel

   Ask the fishmonger to kill, clean, butterfly, and bone the eel. At home, run your fingertips down the flesh and pull any pin bones with tweezers. Pat the fillets very dry, then rub the flesh with 1 teaspoon coarse salt and 1 tablespoon cheongju. Let them stand 10 minutes, then pat dry again. This tightens the surface and calms the muddy edge eel can have.

2. 2

   Make the glaze

   In a small pan, combine soy sauce, jocheong, cheongju, water, grated onion, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and black pepper. Simmer over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until glossy and lightly thickened, about 1/2 cup. Strain if you want a smooth lacquer. Do not reduce it to candy; it still has to brush on in thin layers.

3. 3

   Heat the grill

   Heat a charcoal grill, gas grill, or ridged grill pan to medium-high. Oil the grate lightly. The heat should be strong enough to brown the eel in minutes, but not so fierce that the glaze burns the moment it touches. If using a pan, open a window and work in batches.

4. 4

   Grill flesh first

   Lay the eel flesh side down and grill 3 to 4 minutes, until the surface firms and takes light browning. Do not sauce it yet. Flesh first matters because the tender side needs to set before the skin begins rendering its fat.

5. 5

   Turn skin down

   Turn the eel skin side down and grill 4 to 5 minutes more. Press gently with tongs if the fillet curls. The skin should tighten, the edges should brown, and the thickest part should be cooked through. Eel is fatty, but it is still fish; cook it fully and keep the surface clean.

6. 6

   Brush and lacquer

   Brush a thin layer of glaze over the flesh side, turn briefly, and cook 30 to 45 seconds. Brush again, turn back skin side down, and cook another minute. Repeat once more if you want a deeper shine. Sauce near the end only, because jocheong burns before eel finishes cooking.

7. 7

   Cut and serve

   Move the eel to a board and cut into 5cm pieces with a sharp knife or kitchen scissors. Scatter sesame seeds and sliced scallions over the top. Serve at once with rice, perilla leaves, and a little ssamjang if you like, but don't bury the fish. Wrap one piece with rice and perilla, and let the table go quiet for a moment.

Chef Tips

• •Buy eel already dressed and butterflied. Handling live eel at home is unnecessary and unsafe for most cooks, and a good fishmonger will clean it better than you will.
• •Freshwater eel is the classic summer choice for this dish. If your market only has sea eel, you can cook it the same way, but it will be leaner and a little firmer, so brush lightly and watch the heat.
• •Jocheong gives the glaze its round malt sweetness and shine. If you use corn syrup or honey, use 2 tablespoons instead of 3, then taste, because both can make the sauce loud too quickly.
• •A charcoal grill gives the best edge, but a ridged grill pan is an honest home answer. The corner you cannot cut is saucing late. That is the difference between lacquer and burnt sweetness.

Advance Preparation

• •The glaze can be made up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated. Warm it gently before brushing so it spreads in thin, even layers.
• •The eel can be salted with cheongju up to 30 minutes before cooking, then kept cold and patted dry. Do not marinate it overnight; the texture softens and the fish loses its clean taste.
• •Wash and dry the perilla leaves a few hours ahead, then wrap them in a barely damp towel and refrigerate. A dry leaf wraps cleanly and does not water down the eel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 390g)