Korean Flounder Seaweed Soup
Quick answer
- Total time
- 40 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 6
About this dish
Gajami miyeok-guk is a seaweed soup built around a whole flounder simmered directly in the pot.
Read more
Rehydrated miyeok is stir-fried in sesame oil before the liquid is added, a step that transforms the raw seaweed fragrance into something richer and more rounded. Once the flounder is added and the pot comes to a simmer, the mild, subtly sweet flesh of the white fish slowly infuses the broth, while the collagen released from the bones gives the soup a quiet viscosity and depth that water alone cannot produce. Soy sauce and garlic are the only seasonings needed, allowing the natural flavor of the fish and seaweed to carry the soup without interference. Blanching the flounder briefly in boiling water before adding it to the pot draws out blood and removes any trace of fishiness, resulting in a cleaner, more delicate broth. Along the East Sea coast, gajami miyeok-guk has traditionally been served as postpartum recovery food in place of the more common beef seaweed soup, valued for its lightness, digestibility, and the clean nourishment provided by the fish broth.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Soak 30 g dried seaweed in cold water for 20 minutes, then rinse it several times and squeeze out the excess water.
Cut it into bite-size lengths, and slice 2 garlic cloves thinly so they season the broth evenly.
- 2Heat
Blanch 1 whole flounder in boiling water for only 20-30 seconds.
When the surface turns slightly white, lift it out, rinse away blood and foam, and handle it gently so the delicate flesh stays intact.
- 3Control
Warm 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a pot over medium heat, then add the seaweed and stir-fry for about 2 minutes.
Stop before it scorches, when the color brightens and the raw sea aroma turns nutty.
- 4Control
Pour in 800 ml water and loosen any seaweed stuck to the bottom, then add the whole flounder.
Bring it up over medium heat, then lower to a gentle simmer so the broth stays clean rather than cloudy.
- 5Control
Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and the sliced garlic, then simmer gently for 10-15 minutes.
Skim foam as it appears, and avoid stirring the flounder around so the flesh does not scatter through the soup.
- 6Finish
Turn off the heat when the broth looks lightly milky and the flounder flakes gently with chopsticks.
Ladle seaweed and broth into bowls, set the fish on top carefully, and serve while hot.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Traditional fish-based seaweed soup features rich, nourishing qualities.
- Finish cue
- Turn off the heat when the broth looks lightly milky and the flounder flakes gently with chopsticks.
- Avoid this
- Skim foam as it appears, and avoid stirring the flounder around so the flesh does not scatter through the soup.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
40min, 6 ingredients
Category median
45min, 8 ingredients
Based on 310 recipes
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