Korean Fish Cake Soup (Clear Anchovy Radish Broth)

Quick answer

Total time: 40 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 8

About this dish

Eomuk-tang is a Korean fish cake soup in which skewered fish cakes and thick radish slices simmer in a clear broth built from dried anchovies and kelp.

The kelp must be removed the moment the water begins to boil, otherwise it releases a slimy texture that clouds the broth. Cutting the radish thick allows it to slowly release natural sweetness over the long simmer. Rinsing the fish cakes in hot water before adding them washes away surface oil and keeps the broth clear and clean. Soup soy sauce adjusts the seasoning, and green onion and black pepper finish the pot. Adding the radish before the fish cakes ensures it has enough time to fully soften and sweeten the broth, since it takes longer than the eomuk to cook through.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

fish cake400 gg

Korean radish250 gg

dried anchovy20 gg

dried kelp10 gg

water1800 mlml

soup soy sauce1 tbsptbsp

scallion1 eaea

black pepper¼ tsptsp

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Prep

Slice 250g Korean radish into thick 0.5cm pieces, then thinly chop 1 scallion.

Thread 400g fish cake onto skewers or cut it into bite-size pieces, keeping the pieces large enough to hold their shape in the broth.
2

Step

Pour hot water over the fish cake to rinse away surface oil, then drain it right away.

Do not soak it for long, because the fish cake can lose flavor and become too soft before it goes into the soup.
3

Control

Put 1800ml water, 20g dried anchovies, and 10g dried kelp in a pot and set it over high heat.

As soon as the water begins to boil, remove only the kelp to keep the broth clear.
4

Control

Lower the heat to medium and simmer the anchovy broth for 10 minutes, skimming foam from the surface.

Add the radish and cook about 8 minutes, until the edges look translucent but the pieces still hold together.
5

Control

Remove the anchovies, then add the fish cake and 1 tablespoon soup soy sauce.

Keep the pot at a steady medium simmer for about 7 minutes, until the fish cake plumps gently and absorbs the broth.
6

Finish

Taste the broth and simmer a little longer if it tastes too thin, rather than boiling hard.

Add the scallion and 0.25 teaspoon black pepper, bring it back to a brief simmer, and serve hot.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Removing kelp at the boil keeps the anchovy and radish broth clear for Korean Fish Cake Soup.
Finish cue: Add the radish and cook about 8 minutes, until the edges look translucent but the pieces still hold together.
Avoid this: Do not soak it for long, because the fish cake can lose flavor and become too soft before it goes into the soup.