Myeongnan-jeot (Salted Pollack Roe)

The membrane is the dish. Split it and you still have something useful for rice, but you no longer have myeongnan-jeot that can be sliced cleanly and set out as banchan. My teacher made me lift roe sacs with two fingers and a spoon, like wet silk. I thought she was being severe. Then I salted one too roughly and watched the eggs spill into the brine.

Myeongnan-jeot asks for restraint: cold hands, measured salt, and time in the refrigerator. Pollack roe is best in the cold months, when the sacs are full and firm. Buy it previously frozen from a fishmonger who understands it will be eaten cured, not cooked. Old fish is not made respectable by salt.

The seasoning here is narrow on purpose. A little gochugaru for color and warmth, one small clove of garlic, ginger, a touch of sugar. The roe should taste briny and clean, the eggs whole under your teeth, not masked. Serve it in small slices beside rice and the table will understand why a tiny dish can feel like an occasion.