Korean Grilled Gizzard Shad

Quick answer

Total time: 27 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 8

About this dish

Jeoneo-gui is a grilled gizzard shad dish that captures the best of autumn, when this small fish is at peak fat content and flavor.

The fish is scored on both sides with close, shallow cuts, rubbed with coarse salt, and left to rest for ten minutes before grilling. The resting time allows surface moisture to draw out, which reduces fishiness and creates the conditions for a properly crisp skin over a hot pan or grill. Gizzard shad has numerous fine, small bones that make the raw fish awkward to eat, but scoring densely and cooking over high heat softens the bones through heat, allowing the entire fish to be eaten without picking. A ginger soy dipping sauce - minced ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sliced cheongyang chili - accompanies the fish to cut through its notable oiliness, with the sharp ginger note neutralizing the fishy aroma. Autumn gizzard shad is so prized in Korea that the proverb says its grilling smell is enough to bring a daughter-in-law back home.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

gizzard shad2 eaea

coarse salt1 tsptsp

cooking oil1 tbsptbsp

fresh ginger10 gg

soy sauce1½ tbsptbsp

vinegar1 tsptsp

green chili1 eaea

lemon2 pcspcs

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Instructions

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

6 steps

1

Step

Clean 2 gizzard shad by removing the scales and innards, then rinse under running water.

Pat the outside and belly cavity very dry with paper towels so the skin sticks less in the pan.
2

Control

Make shallow cuts on both sides of each fish at close intervals, without cutting through the flesh.

Sprinkle evenly with 1 teaspoon coarse salt and rest for 10 minutes to draw out moisture and reduce fishiness.
3

Finish

After salting, wipe away the moisture that has surfaced so the skin feels dry again.

Finely mince 10 g fresh ginger and thinly slice 1 green chili while the fish finishes resting.
4

Season

Mix the ginger, green chili, 1.5 tablespoons soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon vinegar in a small bowl.

Let the sauce sit while the fish cooks so the ginger and chili flavor the soy sauce.
5

Control

Heat a pan or grill well over medium-high heat, then spread on 1 tablespoon cooking oil in a thin layer.

Add the fish and cook 4-5 minutes per side, turning only after the skin is browned and releases cleanly.
6

Finish

Remove the fish when the flesh is opaque and the cuts show cooked meat down to the bone.

Rest for 1 minute, serve with 2 lemon pieces, and eat hot with the ginger soy sauce.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Jeoneo-gui (Grilled Gizzard Shad) is an autumn specialty with rich, oily, and salty flesh.
Finish cue: Remove the fish when the flesh is opaque and the cuts show cooked meat down to the bone.