52 recipes. Page 1 of 3
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The squid comes out of the boiling water after 2 to 3 minutes, once the flesh turns opaque white and curls a little. Left in a pile, it keeps cooking in its own heat and toughens, which is why the pieces are spread out to cool. The body is cut into rings and served with chogochujang (vinegared chili paste) before it gets too cold.
Small rolls of plain seasoned rice with no filling sit beside spicy squid and seasoned radish, and you take a bite of one, then the other. It is the Tongyeong way: salt and sesame oil for the rice, and all the heat in the side dishes.
A shallow crosshatch scored on the inside of the squid body opens up as it cooks, curling each piece and letting the gochujang sauce work into the cuts. Score too deep and the body tears apart; the knife should only graze the surface.
Shrimp, squid and clams share one batter, but each gets its own prep. The shrimp have the tendons along their backs cut so they fry straight, and the squid is scored so it does not shrink up in the oil. Everything goes through the oil only once, briefly, at 170°C.
Shrimp and squid are brushed with a thin layer of doenjang sauce and grilled. There is only half a tablespoon of gochujang in it, so it tastes more savory than hot. You know it is done by smell: once the sauce turns deep brown and smells toasty, it comes off the heat, and a little longer brings a burnt note.
Hard scorched rice dropped into hot seafood broth starts out crisp, turns chewy, and if left a while longer softens into something like porridge. It goes into each bowl at the table rather than into the pot, and how long you wait decides which version you eat.
Squid chews dense and shrimp snaps springy, so each piece of this pancake bites a little differently depending on what it holds. The seafood gives off water as it cooks, which is why a little of the batter water is held back from the start.
Blue crab, clams, squid and shrimp share one pot that keeps simmering on a low flame at the table. The seafood gets fished out first as it's ready; the tofu and zucchini stay in the red broth a while longer.
Crunchy bean sprouts and chewy squid and shrimp share one platter, all coated in a thick red sauce. It shows up often as a dish to go with drinks.
Salting firms the squid flesh enough to keep a pleasantly chewy bite after it is coated in the red seasoning. Starch syrup gives the gochugaru paste a gloss and a little sweetness that keeps the salt from standing alone. The squid should be frozen at -20°C or below for at least 24 hours and thawed in the fridge before cleaning, with any visible parasites removed. Hot rice is the usual partner.
Shrimp, squid and springy fresh wheat noodles share a dark, glossy dressing of chili oil, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Oyster sauce bridges the seafood's briny sweetness and the soy base, so the bowl leans toward savory depth rather than plain saltiness. Blending the chili oil evenly into the soy seasoning before tossing lets it coat the noodles and seafood in a thin, even film. Speed decides the texture: a short blanch and a quick high-heat toss keep the shrimp bouncy and the squid tender instead of rubbery. The noodles keep softening while they are mixed, so they come out of the pot 30 seconds short of the package time, and both noodles and seafood are drained hard so no water dilutes the sauce.
Short noodles take the place of rice in this Spanish pan dish, a close cousin of paella. Toasting them in oil until the tips turn golden gives a nutty note, and leaving the pan mostly unstirred after the stock goes in lets a thin crust form underneath. The shrimp and squid are only seared at first and go back on top near the end, so they stay tender. Serve with aioli if you have some.
Blanched squid tossed in gochujang, chili flakes and vinegar works as both a drinking snack and a side dish with rice. Timing decides almost everything: past a minute to a minute and a half in boiling water the flesh contracts and turns rubbery, while undercooked squid stays translucent in the middle. An ice bath right after stops the carryover heat and locks in the springy bite.
Part of the kabocha melts into the porridge, so it thickens and turns gently sweet without any added starch. With shrimp and squid in every spoonful, it is closer to a meal than the snack-like pumpkin porridge most people know.
Water from the bean sprouts is what most easily turns this stir-fry thin. They are drained well, added only in the last minute or two, and the whole pan goes onto a plate as soon as the heat is off.
These are the squid rings Korean street stalls and snack bars fry to order, made at home. The batter is mixed with cold water and stirred only briefly, deliberately leaving small lumps; those lumps are what make the coating rough and crunchy.
Squid, shrimp, scallops and clams all cook at different speeds, so even on one grill each comes off on its own schedule. The clams are lifted out as soon as they open, juices and all. With nothing but olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon on them, any overcooked, rubbery piece gives itself away.
With no chili paste or doenjang, only salt, garlic and scallion, the broth tastes of nothing but the clams, shrimp and squid. Each bowl holds open clam shells, curled red shrimp and white rings of squid.
Long green onions cut to the length of the pan form the base layer here, with squid, shrimp and mussel meat on top and only enough thin batter to fill the gaps. Unlike a pajeon where batter covers everything, the scallions carry the structure, and each slice shows stacked layers of onion and shellfish.
Ninety grams of scorched rice, broken into chunks rather than crumbs, is added for the last three minutes. It is served while the edges have melted into the broth and thickened it but the centers still have some bite. Seasoning waits until the rice has swelled and the stew has thickened.
Squid and shishito peppers end up coated in a spicy glaze of soy sauce, gochujang and gochugaru, with just enough sauce left in the pan to spoon over rice. The squid gets only a short, hot reduction, since it turns rubbery the longer it simmers; once the edges curl and turn white, it is nearly there. Residual heat keeps cooking it, which is the reason to stir in the sesame oil off the heat and plate right away.
Squid and shrimp take the place of pork, so the familiar black bean sauce picks up a briny note as the seafood releases its juices into it. Potato, onion and zucchini soften into the sauce for sweetness and body, and a little starch slurry gives it the glossy, clinging texture that coats the noodles.
Shrimp and squid are cooked only until their surfaces turn white, then left to finish in the simmering tomatoes, where six or seven minutes of gentle heat cooks them through while they stay tender. As the tomato reduces it soaks up the juices the seafood releases.
The eggs are fried first, then the same pan goes up to high for the shrimp and squid, which come off the heat the moment they turn opaque. Whatever juices collect in the pan are poured over the rice along with the seafood.