Spicy cod fillets (Daegusal-jorim: 대구살조림)

Hello seafood lovers! Today’s recipe is very simple, fast, and easy, but also very delicious with an amazing texture! It’s spicy boneless cod filets (Daegusal-jorim: 대구살조림). I originally developed this recipe for those who are not comfortable eating fish with bones, but it ended up becoming one of my favorite quick recipes! You can enjoy the soft, flaky, and juicy cod without worrying about needing to pick out any fishbones at all.

Koreans always cook fish with bones because the bones themselves give a rich flavor when the fish is cooked for a long time. But this recipe doesn’t cook for a long time, just 13 minutes! So we don’t need the bones here at all.

The potato starch coated cod cooks fast and is shiny, a little sticky and firm but flaky. I added dried kelp to make it savory.

Ingredients

Serves 2 to 4

• 1 pound frozen cod fillets, thawed and cut into about 2½ inch pieces
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black (or white) pepper
• 2 tablespoons potato starch (or plain wheat flour)
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons gochu-garu (Korean hot pepper flakes)
• a palm-sized piece of dried kelp
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1 green chili pepper, sliced
• 1 plus ¼ cup water

Directions

1. In a bowl, season the cod evenly with salt and ground black pepper. Let it sit for 30 minutes in the fridge. Pat dry with a paper towel to remove excess water.
2. Coat the cod pieces with the potato starch.
3. Evenly spread the onion and garlic in the bottom of a small pan.
4. Cut the dried kelp into 6 pieces and add it to the pan.
5. Add soy sauce and sprinkle the gochu-garu over the onion.
6. Add 1 cup water. Cook over medium high heat for about 3 minutes until it starts boiling.
7. Reduce the heat to medium. Stir. Add the cod pieces on top, side by side. Cover and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.
8. Uncover and use a spoon to flip over each piece of the cod. Add the rest of the ¼ cup of water to the pan.
9. Add green onion and green chili pepper. Cover and cook another 5 minutes over medium heat.
10. Open the lid and scoop some liquid from the bottom of the pan and spoon it over top.
11. Remove from the heat and serve right away with rice and other side dishes.