Jangeo-tang (Korean Eel Soup)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 5-quart pot
• •Fine sieve
• •Wide bowl for cooling and picking the eel
• •Separate pot for blanching greens
• •Tongs or a slotted spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean the eel

   Ask the fishmonger to clean and cut the eel, keeping the bones and head if they are available. At home, rub the pieces with the coarse salt for 1 minute to loosen the slick coating, then rinse under cold running water and drain well. Do not taste raw eel, and keep the board clean. Eel must be cooked through.

   If you can buy only boneless eel fillets, use them. The soup will be a little lighter, so simmer the anchovy broth carefully and do not skip the perilla seed powder.
2. 2

   Start the broth

   Put the water, kelp, anchovies, ginger, and 4 smashed garlic cloves in a heavy pot. Bring it slowly to a simmer over medium heat. Pull the kelp out as soon as the water trembles, about 8 to 10 minutes, because kelp left too long turns the broth slick and bitter. Simmer the anchovies, ginger, and garlic for 12 minutes more, then lift out the anchovies.

3. 3

   Simmer the eel

   Add the eel pieces, bones, and head to the pot. Keep the broth at a gentle simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, skimming the gray foam that rises. Hard boiling breaks the fish apart before the broth has taken its strength, and it makes the soup cloudy in a tired way instead of a rich one.

4. 4

   Pull and strain

   Lift the eel pieces into a wide bowl. Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a clean pot and discard the ginger, garlic, bones, and head. When the eel is cool enough to handle, pull the meat into large flakes, checking carefully for small bones. This is the part you do slowly. A tonic soup should not make the table nervous.

5. 5

   Blanch the greens

   Bring a separate pot of water to a boil and blanch the cabbage for 2 minutes, just until flexible. Drain and squeeze lightly. If using blanched siraegi, squeeze it dry and cut it into bite-size lengths. Blanching removes the raw cabbage edge so the greens can drink the broth instead of watering it down.

6. 6

   Season the base

   Whisk the doenjang, guk-ganjang, gochugaru, fish sauce if using, and 4 minced garlic cloves into the strained broth. Add the onion, blanched cabbage, and siraegi. Simmer 15 minutes, until the greens soften and the broth tastes settled. Start with this measured seasoning. More doenjang can rescue a thin soup, but too much makes the eel disappear.

7. 7

   Thicken with perilla

   Stir the perilla seed powder with 1/2 cup hot broth in a small bowl to make a loose paste, then pour it back into the pot. This prevents dry clumps. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the broth turns thick and nutty and coats the back of a spoon.

8. 8

   Return the eel

   Slide the flaked eel back into the pot and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Taste the broth now. If it needs salt, add it 1/4 teaspoon at a time, waiting half a minute before tasting again. 손맛 is real. I still measure it, so it can be handed on.

9. 9

   Finish the soup

   Add the green chilies, scallions, perilla leaves, sesame oil, and black pepper. Simmer 1 minute, then turn off the heat. The chilies should stay bright and sharp, and the perilla leaves should soften without losing their green fragrance. Serve with rice, kimchi, and chopi or sancho pepper at the table for those who know they want it.

Chef Tips

• •Buy freshwater eel that smells clean and faintly sweet, never muddy or sharp. If the fishmonger hesitates to clean it for you, choose another market. Good eel soup begins before the pot.
• •Perilla seed powder thickens the broth and softens the fish's river taste. Use deulkkae-garu, not ground sesame. They are not the same, and the soup knows the difference.
• •Chopi or sancho pepper is strong and not everyone grew up with it. Put it on the table instead of in the pot, especially if you are feeding a mixed table.
• •Cook the month you're standing in. This soup is best in summer, especially around the hottest days, but in colder months you can make the same method with more siraegi and fewer fresh chilies for a heavier winter bowl.
• •Leftovers keep 2 days in the refrigerator. Reheat gently and stir often, because perilla-thickened soups can catch on the bottom if you rush them.

Advance Preparation

• •The eel broth can be made and strained 1 day ahead. Keep the broth and picked eel meat refrigerated in separate covered containers, then finish the soup with greens and perilla before serving.
• •Blanch the cabbage and siraegi up to 1 day ahead, squeeze them dry, and refrigerate. Do not add the perilla seed powder until the day you serve, because it thickens further as it sits.
• •If using dried siraegi, soak it overnight, then boil until tender before starting this recipe. Tough siraegi will not soften properly in the seasoned soup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 700g)