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.
Culinary Explorer
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Kkongchi-gui (꽁치구이, Grilled Pacific Saury)
Created by
Cheap, oily Pacific saury grilled whole with salt until the skin blisters and chars, the weeknight fish that brings autumn to the Korean table without asking for much.
Main Dishes
Korean
Weeknight
Budget Friendly
15 min
Active Time
12 min cook•27 min total
Yield2 to 4 servings
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.
Pacific saury, called kkongchi in Korea and sanma in Japan, has long been an inexpensive autumn fish around the northern Pacific, eaten at home because it is oily, plentiful, and quick to grill. In Korea, kkongchi-gui became a plain rice-table main especially suited to charcoal grills, broilers, and fish-grilling drawers in home kitchens, while canned saury took the same fish into postwar stews such as kkongchi-kimchi-jjigae. Its season is still its identity: autumn saury carries more fat, which is why the grilled version is best then.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
whole Pacific saury (kkongchi)
Quantity
4 fish, about 250 to 300g each
rinsed and patted very dry
coarse sea salt
Quantity
2 teaspoons
divided
neutral oil
Quantity
1 teaspoon
for the grate or pan
lemon or Korean citron wedge (optional)
Quantity
1
cut into wedges
soy sauce
Quantity
2 tablespoons
rice vinegar
Quantity
1 tablespoon
scallion
Quantity
1 teaspoon
finely sliced
green chili
Quantity
1 teaspoon
finely chopped
toasted sesame seeds
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| whole Pacific saury (kkongchi)rinsed and patted very dry | 4 fish, about 250 to 300g each |
| coarse sea saltdivided | 2 teaspoons |
| neutral oilfor the grate or pan | 1 teaspoon |
| lemon or Korean citron wedge (optional)cut into wedges | 1 |
| soy sauce | 2 tablespoons |
| rice vinegar | 1 tablespoon |
| scallionfinely sliced | 1 teaspoon |
| green chilifinely chopped | 1 teaspoon |
| toasted sesame seeds | 1/2 teaspoon |
Equipment Needed
- •Charcoal grill, gas grill, broiler, or ridged grill pan
- •Wire rack for salting and drying
- •Fish spatula or long tongs
- •Long oval plate
Instructions
- 1
Check the fish
Look at the fish before you season it. The eyes should be clear, the belly firm, and the smell clean and briny, not sour or harsh. If the fish is very fresh, leave it whole. If it was frozen, traveled far, or the belly feels soft, slit the belly, remove the innards, rinse quickly, and dry it well. The bitter gut is good only when the fish is good.
- 2
Salt and dry
Pat the fish dry with paper towels, including inside the belly if gutted. Rub 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt over each fish, using most of it on the skin and a pinch inside the belly. Set the fish on a rack for 10 minutes. Salt seasons the flesh and pulls a little surface moisture out, so the skin chars instead of tearing.
Do not salt for an hour unless you want a cured texture. Ten minutes is enough for a small oily fish. - 3
Make the dip
Stir together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, scallion, green chili, and toasted sesame seeds. Keep it sharp and light. This is a fish dip, not a sauce to cover mistakes, so do not add sugar or gochujang here.
- 4
Heat the grill
Heat a charcoal grill, gas grill, broiler, or ridged grill pan to high heat. Brush the grate or pan with 1 teaspoon neutral oil. The cooking surface must be hot before the fish touches it, because saury skin sticks when it meets lukewarm metal.
- 5
Grill first side
Lay the fish down in a single layer and leave them alone for 5 to 6 minutes. Do not move them early. The skin will grip at first, then release when it has browned and blistered. If you force it, you lose the best part.
- 6
Turn and finish
Turn each fish carefully with a fish spatula or tongs and grill the second side 4 to 5 minutes, until the skin is charred in places and the thickest part flakes easily. Whole ungutted fish may need 1 extra minute because the belly protects the flesh. The fish is done when the oil beads on the skin and the flesh pulls cleanly from the center bone.
- 7
Serve at once
Move the fish to a long plate and serve immediately with rice, kimchi, the soy-vinegar dip, and lemon or citron wedges if using. Eat from the back first, lifting the flesh away from the bones. If you kept the gut, taste a small bite with rice before deciding. Bitterness needs rice beside it.
Chef Tips
- •Freshness decides whether you keep the gut. Clear eyes, tight skin, and a firm belly are permission. A soft belly or strong smell is instruction to clean it. Pride has no place in bad fish.
- •Dry the skin harder than you think. Oily fish still needs a dry surface to char, and wet skin tears even on a hot grill.
- •A broiler is an honest weeknight vessel. Put the fish on a lightly oiled rack set over a foil-lined tray, broil 5 to 6 inches from the heat, and turn once. The corner you may cut is the charcoal. The corner you may not cut is drying and salting properly.
- •Serve kkongchi-gui with plain rice and one clean soup, not a heavy red stew. The fish is rich already, and the table needs balance.
Advance Preparation
- •The fish can be salted and held uncovered in the refrigerator for up to 30 minutes before cooking. Longer than that changes the texture and draws out too much moisture.
- •The soy-vinegar dip can be mixed up to 1 day ahead, but add the scallion and green chili close to serving so they stay sharp.
- •Grilled saury is best eaten immediately. Leftovers can be flaked from the bones and folded into warm rice the next day, but the skin will not stay crisp.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 165g)
Calories
435 calories
Total Fat
32 g
Saturated Fat
7 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
25 g
Cholesterol
115 mg
Sodium
1700 mg
Total Carbohydrates
2 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
35 g
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