Kkolttugi-jeot (꼴뚜기젓, Salted Baby Squid)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Digital kitchen scale
• •Small kitchen scissors or tweezers
• •Large stainless mixing bowl
• •Colander and clean kitchen towel
• •Sterilized 1-liter glass jar or small onggi
• •Clean spoon or small fermentation weight

Instructions

1. 1

   Choose the squid

   Buy kkolttugi only when they smell clean and briny, with firm bodies and clear skin. If they smell sharp, ammoniac, or tired, cook something else. This preserve begins as raw seafood, so freshness is not decoration; it is the safety and flavor of the dish. Keep the squid on ice and clean them the same day.

2. 2

   Clean by hand

   Working over a bowl, rinse the squid briefly in cold salted water. With small kitchen scissors or your fingertips, pinch out the hard black eyes, remove the beak from the center of the tentacles, and pull away any visible ink sac. If a squid is larger than your thumb, slit the body and remove the clear quill and heavy innards. Leave the skin and tentacles; that chew is the dish.

   Do not soak the squid in plain water. It softens the flesh and brings extra water into the cure, and extra water is how a good jeotgal loses its footing.
3. 3

   Drain thoroughly

   Set the cleaned squid in a colander for 20 minutes, then spread them on a clean towel and pat them dry. Weigh the squid after draining. The salt amount is based on this cleaned weight, not the market weight, because the eyes, ink, and draining water are no longer part of the jar.

4. 4

   Salt by weight

   Measure coarse sea salt equal to 15 percent of the cleaned squid weight. For 800g cleaned squid, use 120g salt. Toss the squid and salt in a stainless bowl until every piece is coated, then let it stand 10 minutes so the first brine begins to draw out. This number matters. Under-salted seafood does not become jeotgal; it becomes unsafe.

5. 5

   Pack the jar

   Pack the salted squid tightly into a sterilized 1-liter glass jar or small onggi (earthenware crock), pressing down so the brine rises around the squid. Scrape in every grain of salt from the bowl. If the brine does not cover the squid after 12 hours, dissolve 2 teaspoons coarse salt in 1/4 cup boiled and cooled water and add only enough to cover. Never add plain water.

6. 6

   Cold cure

   Cover the jar and refrigerate it in the coldest part of the refrigerator for 3 weeks. Stir with a clean spoon every 3 days during the first week, then once a week after that, pressing the squid back under the brine each time. The smell should become deeply savory and salty, never rotten, fizzy, or ammoniac. If you see mold, strong gas, or a spoiled smell, throw it away without bargaining.

7. 7

   Make seasoning

   For one eating batch, drain 300g cured squid and reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons of the brine. Stir the gochugaru with the brine, garlic, ginger, and maesil-cheong or rice syrup, then let it sit 10 minutes. This blooms the chili so it clings to the squid instead of sitting dusty on the surface. The syrup rounds the salt; it should not make the dish sweet.

8. 8

   Season and rest

   Toss the drained cured squid with the seasoning paste, sliced scallion, sesame oil, and toasted sesame seeds. Mix with a gloved hand or spoon until every small body is glossed red. Rest the seasoned jeot in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes, or overnight if you have time. Serve in spoonfuls beside hot rice, because this is a strong banchan, not a mound for eating alone.

   Season only what you will eat within 7 days. Keep the remaining cured squid plain in its brine; garlic, scallion, and sesame oil make it taste finished but shorten its keeping life.

Chef Tips

• •A kitchen scale is not optional here. Salted seafood needs a real ratio, and 15 percent salt by cleaned weight gives a firm, salty cure suitable for a home refrigerator. 손맛 is real; I measure it anyway.
• •Use coarse, non-iodized sea salt if you can. Fine table salt dissolves too quickly and can make the outside harsh before the small squid cure evenly.
• •If the finished cured squid is too salty for your table, rinse the portion you plan to season for 5 seconds under cold water, then drain for 15 minutes. Do not soak it. Soaking pulls out flavor and weakens the cure.
• •The plain cured base keeps up to 2 months refrigerated if it stays submerged and you use only clean utensils. A seasoned batch with garlic, scallion, and sesame oil should be eaten within 7 days.
• •Serve this with plain rice, a mild guk (soup), and one clean vegetable banchan. If every dish on the table is loud, nothing can speak clearly.

Advance Preparation

• •The salted squid base needs 3 weeks in the refrigerator before seasoning. Make it when the market has good kkolttugi, then season small portions as needed.
• •The seasoned jeot tastes best after resting overnight in the refrigerator. Bring out only a small dish for the table and return the rest to the cold quickly.
• •Do not freeze the cured squid. Freezing breaks the small bodies and makes the texture soft after thawing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 65g)