Chef Jeong-sun
Al-tang (Fish Roe Stew)
A weeknight fish roe stew with radish and crown daisy in a clean spicy broth, where the whole success depends on adding the roe late enough that it sets tender, not chalky.
Culinary Explorer
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Mineo-tang (민어탕, Croaker Soup)
Created by
A Jeolla summer soup of whole croaker, white radish, and minari, simmered gently so the fish stays tender and the clear broth tastes clean enough for boknal heat.
Soups & Stews
Korean
Special Occasion
Comfort Food
25 min
Active Time
35 min cook•1 hr total
Yield4 servings
Mineo chooses its own season. In the deepest heat, when the croaker comes to market fat enough for soup and minari can wake a tired broth, this dish makes sense. Cook the month you're standing in. If the fish is dull-eyed and thin, don't force it into mineo-tang; make cod soup in winter and wait for summer to do this one properly.
In Jeolla, this is comfort food with a special-occasion price. On boknal (the dog days), when people look for a bowl that gives strength against the heat, some tables chose mineo over beef because the fish gives both broth and meat from one body. But it is not a soup to bully. Remove the gills and blood, use the head for depth, and add the body pieces only after the radish has already sweetened the pot.
Notebook 38, copied after Master Seong-nyeo's Jeolla lesson, gives the number that matters: 1.2kg fish to 8 cups water, 400g radish, 80g minari. Too much water and you make fish-flavored water. Too much soy and the broth turns heavy. The cook's job tonight is quiet: clean the fish, simmer without violence, taste before the final salt.
Mineo (brown croaker) has long been one of the prized summer fish of Korea's southwest coast, especially the Yellow Sea waters around Mokpo, Sinan, and Yeonggwang, where large croaker came into market during the hot months. In Jeolla, mineo-tang became a boknal restorative for households that could afford a costly fish, and the old saying 'ilpum mineo, ipum domi, sampum bosintang' placed croaker before sea bream and the dog-day meat soup. It is a coastal market dish, not borrowed court grandeur: the season, the whole fish, and the strengthening soup habit made it what it is.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
fresh mineo (croaker)
Quantity
1 whole fish, 1.1 to 1.3kg
scaled, gutted, gills removed, head split, cut crosswise into 2-inch steaks
coarse sea salt
Quantity
1 tablespoon
for cleaning the fish
water
Quantity
8 cups
dried kelp (dasima)
Quantity
1 piece, about 4 inches square
Korean radish (mu)
Quantity
400g
peeled and cut into 1/2-inch half-moons
onion
Quantity
1/2 medium, about 100g
sliced 1/2 inch thick
cheongju or soju
Quantity
2 tablespoons
guk-ganjang (Korean soup soy sauce)
Quantity
1 1/2 tablespoons
garlic
Quantity
1 tablespoon
minced
ginger
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
finely grated
fine sea salt
Quantity
3/4 teaspoon, divided, plus 1/4 teaspoon more if needed
gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) (optional)
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
green Korean chilies
Quantity
2
sliced on the diagonal
red chili (optional)
Quantity
1
sliced on the diagonal
scallions
Quantity
2
cut into 2-inch lengths
minari (water dropwort)
Quantity
80g
trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| fresh mineo (croaker)scaled, gutted, gills removed, head split, cut crosswise into 2-inch steaks | 1 whole fish, 1.1 to 1.3kg |
| coarse sea saltfor cleaning the fish | 1 tablespoon |
| water | 8 cups |
| dried kelp (dasima) | 1 piece, about 4 inches square |
| Korean radish (mu)peeled and cut into 1/2-inch half-moons | 400g |
| onionsliced 1/2 inch thick | 1/2 medium, about 100g |
| cheongju or soju | 2 tablespoons |
| guk-ganjang (Korean soup soy sauce) | 1 1/2 tablespoons |
| garlicminced | 1 tablespoon |
| gingerfinely grated | 1/2 teaspoon |
| fine sea salt | 3/4 teaspoon, divided, plus 1/4 teaspoon more if needed |
| gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) (optional) | 1/2 teaspoon |
| green Korean chiliessliced on the diagonal | 2 |
| red chili (optional)sliced on the diagonal | 1 |
| scallionscut into 2-inch lengths | 2 |
| minari (water dropwort)trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths | 80g |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide 4-quart pot or shallow jeongol pan
- •Slotted spoon or broad fish spatula
- •Fine-mesh skimmer
Instructions
- 1
Clean the fish
Put the cut croaker in a wide bowl with cold water and the coarse sea salt. Swish once, rub away any blood along the backbone with your fingers or a chopstick, then lift the fish out and drain it well. Do not leave it soaking. Check that the gills are gone. Gills and blood make a broth muddy before seasoning ever gets a chance.
Keep the fish cold until the pot is ready. If it smells sour or sharp, this is not the soup for it. My teacher would have sent that fish back without making a speech. - 2
Salt and rest
Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of the fine sea salt over the fish pieces and let them sit 10 minutes while you prepare the broth. This small salting firms the flesh so it enters the soup cleanly instead of breaking apart at the first simmer. Pat the pieces dry before they go into the pot.
- 3
Simmer radish broth
Put the water, kelp, radish, and onion in a wide 4-quart pot. Bring it to a quiet simmer over medium heat. Pull the kelp out as soon as small bubbles gather around the edges, about 8 to 10 minutes, because boiled kelp turns the broth slick. Continue simmering the radish 8 more minutes, until the edges begin to look translucent.
- 4
Build fish broth
Add the croaker head, tail, and any bony pieces first, along with the cheongju or soju, guk-ganjang, garlic, ginger, remaining 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, and the gochugaru if using. Keep the pot at a gentle simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, skimming any gray foam. The head gives body to the broth; hard boiling only makes the fish tighten and the soup cloudy.
If your fishmonger gives you the cleaned swim bladder, add it with the head. It is prized for its springy bite and quiet richness. - 5
Add the steaks
Slide the thick croaker steaks into the pot in a single layer and ladle broth over the top instead of stirring. Simmer gently 7 to 9 minutes, until the flesh is opaque near the bone and just flakes when touched with a chopstick. If you use a thermometer, the thickest part should reach 63 C or 145 F. Croaker flesh is soft; treat it like something you want to keep whole.
- 6
Finish the greens
Taste the broth before the greens go in. Add up to 1/4 teaspoon more salt only if it tastes flat; do not reach for more soy sauce first, because it darkens the clean broth. Add the green chilies, red chili if using, scallions, and minari. Cook 45 to 60 seconds, just until the minari bends and stays bright. The last salt is where 손맛 (hand-taste) begins, but measure what you add so you can cook the same good soup twice.
- 7
Serve at once
Serve the soup in wide bowls with rice, kimchi, and a small plate for bones. Spoon broth into each bowl first, then lift in the fish with a broad spoon so the pieces stay intact. Eat it while the radish is soft, the minari is still green, and the fish tastes like itself.
Chef Tips
- •Buy mineo in summer if you can, especially from a market that turns over fish quickly. Look for clear eyes, red gills before they are removed, firm flesh, and a clean sea smell. A tired fish will not become noble because you simmered it politely.
- •A whole fish matters here. The head and bones give gelatin and depth that fillets alone cannot. If you can only buy fillets, ask for fish bones or a head for the pot, or reduce the water to 6 cups and accept a lighter soup.
- •Do not make this into gochujang soup. For a faint red edge, 1/2 teaspoon gochugaru is enough. Gochujang brings sweetness and weight, and mineo-tang should stay clean.
- •Minari goes in at the end because its job is to brighten the fish, not collapse into the broth. If you cannot find it, use a little ssukgat (crown daisy) or more scallion, but do not substitute parsley and pretend it is the same.
Advance Preparation
- •Ask the fishmonger to scale, gut, remove the gills, split the head, and cut the croaker into steaks. You can clean and lightly salt the fish up to 6 hours ahead, then keep it covered and refrigerated over ice.
- •Cut the radish, onion, chilies, and scallions up to 1 day ahead. Wash the minari, trim it, wrap it in a damp towel, and cut it just before cooking so it stays lively.
- •This soup is best made just before serving. If you have leftovers, chill them within 2 hours and eat them the next day, reheated gently below a hard boil so the fish does not toughen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 700g)
Calories
215 calories
Total Fat
5 g
Saturated Fat
1 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
4 g
Cholesterol
100 mg
Sodium
1100 mg
Total Carbohydrates
10 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
4 g
Protein
31 g
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