Korean Pacific Saury Stew

Quick answer

Total time: 35 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 8

About this dish

Kkongchi jjigae is a budget-friendly Korean stew built around a single can of Pacific saury, making it one of the most practical jjigae to pull together from pantry staples.

Korean radish and onion go into the pot alongside the fish, absorbing the bold, oily flavor of the canned saury as everything simmers together. The canning liquid is included in the pot as well, eliminating the need for a separate stock while adding the concentrated brininess of the fish directly to the broth. A half-tablespoon of doenjang tames the fishiness that canned fish can carry while adding a layer of fermented, savory depth, and gochugaru builds the characteristic spicy bite that makes this stew work as a proper rice banchan. Because canned saury is already fully cooked and the bones have softened in the canning process, the fish can go directly into the pot without any preparation and the pieces can be eaten bones and all. The whole stew comes together in under 30 minutes, making it a reliable weeknight option when time and budget are both short.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

canned saury1 pcspcs

Korean radish180 gg

onion80 gg

green onion½ eaea

Korean chili flakes1½ tbsptbsp

doenjang½ tbsptbsp

minced garlic1 tsptsp

water600 mlml

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Instructions

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

6 steps

1

Prep

Slice 180g of Korean radish into 0.5cm thick squares and cut 80g of onion into 1cm thick strips, then slice half a green onion diagonally to prepare the vegetables.
2

Control

Add the sliced radish and onion to a pot with 600ml of water and boil over medium heat for 8 minutes until the radish pieces become translucent and tender.
3

Step

Add 1.5 tablespoons of chili flakes, 0.5 tablespoons of doenjang to remove fishiness, and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, stirring well to ensure the paste dissolves completely into the broth.
4

Control

Pour in the entire can of saury including all the canning liquid for extra depth, and simmer for 10 minutes over medium-low heat without breaking the delicate fish pieces.
5

Control

Use a spoon to continuously baste the saury with the spicy broth for 5 minutes over low heat so the savory seasoning penetrates deeply into the thick fish meat.
6

Finish

Add the prepared green onions and boil for one final minute to let their fresh aroma blend into the stew before turning off the heat to finish the dish.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Kkongchi jjigae turns canned Pacific saury and thick-cut radish into a savory pantry meal by utilizing the canned juices for an instant broth.
Finish cue: Add the sliced radish and onion to a pot with 600ml of water and boil over medium heat for 8 minutes until the radish pieces become translucent and tender.