Korean Ureok Doenjang Gui (Doenjang Grilled Rockfish)
Quick answer
Rockfish fillets are patted dry, pin-boned, and brushed thinly with a paste of doenjang, gochujang, minced garlic, cooking wine, honey, and sesame oil before resting in t...
What makes this special
- Ureok-doenjang-gui coats mild rockfish fillets in fermented soybean paste for deep, savory flavor.
- Mild white-fleshed rockfish absorbs the fermented depth of doenjang and gochujang
- Thin multiple coats of marinade are essential; thick coating chars and kills the fermented aroma
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Pat the 400 g rockfish fillets dry on both the skin and flesh sides with paper towels.
- 2 Mix 1.5 tablespoons doenjang, 0.5 tablespoon gochujang, 1 tablespoon each mi...
- 3 Brush the paste on so thinly that the fish still shows through.
Rockfish fillets are patted dry, pin-boned, and brushed thinly with a paste of doenjang, gochujang, minced garlic, cooking wine, honey, and sesame oil before resting in the refrigerator for fifteen minutes. Cooking begins skin-side down for four minutes, then the fillet is flipped for three minutes, and a second thin coat of paste is applied for two final minutes. The key is thin, repeated applications - a thick layer burns before the fish is done. Rockfish's mild white flesh absorbs the complex, fermented savoriness of the doenjang-gochujang blend, producing a depth of flavor that plain grilled fish cannot match.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Pat the 400 g rockfish fillets dry on both the skin and flesh sides with paper towels.
Run your fingertips over the surface to find pin bones, then pull them out with tweezers before seasoning.
- 2Heat
Mix 1.5 tablespoons doenjang, 0.5 tablespoon gochujang, 1 tablespoon each minced garlic and cooking wine, and 1 teaspoon each honey and sesame oil. Stir until the paste is smooth enough to brush thinly.
- 3Finish
Brush the paste on so thinly that the fish still shows through.
Refrigerate the fillets on a plate for 15 minutes, then lightly wipe away any heavy clumps before cooking to prevent scorching.
- 4Control
Preheat a pan over medium heat for 1 minute, then add 1 tablespoon neutral oil.
Place the fillets skin-side down and leave them undisturbed for 4 minutes, until the edges turn opaque and the skin browns.
- 5Finish
Slide a wide spatula under each fillet and flip gently so the flesh does not break.
Cook for 3 minutes, brush on a very thin second layer of paste, then finish over medium-low heat for 2 minutes.
- 6Finish
Turn off the heat when the flesh is opaque and flakes along the grain when pressed with chopsticks or a fork.
Top with 20 g sliced green onion and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, then serve while hot.
After the steps
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