Kkongchi-gui (꽁치구이, Grilled Pacific Saury)

Kkongchi belongs to autumn. At the market, you know the good ones by the clear eyes, firm belly, and blue-silver skin that still looks alive under the light. Cook the month you're standing in. When saury is fat, it needs almost nothing from you except salt, heat, and the discipline not to fuss with it.

This is a weeknight fish, not a banquet fish, and I mean that with respect. My mother put it on the table with rice, kimchi, and one hot soup, and nobody asked for more. The flesh is rich because Pacific saury carries its own oil, and that is why the grill must be hot. Gentle heat makes the skin stick and the belly collapse. Strong heat chars the skin, sets the flesh, and leaves the inside moist.

There is one honest question here: the gut. Many Koreans eat kkongchi whole, including the bitter innards, because that bitterness belongs to the fish in season. I do too when the fish is very fresh. If your fish has traveled far, smells strong, or was thawed without care, clean the belly and cook it gutted. 시대가 바뀌면 음식도 바뀌어야 해요. When times change, food must change too, but the seasoning stays restrained. Let the fish taste like itself.