Spicy Braised Mackerel with Aged Kimchi
A Delicious Aged Kimchi and Canned Mackerel Stew
It seems I’ll be eating a lot of aged kimchi for a while as I need to clear out my kimchi refrigerator! Luckily, I love aged kimchi! I happened to have canned mackerel at home, so I made a stew with it. The advantage of canned mackerel is that it’s already aged and the bones are so soft they disappear when you chew them, making it a dish that adults and children alike can enjoy!
Main Ingredients
- 1/4 head of aged kimchi
- 1 can of canned mackerel
- 1/4 purple onion
- 2 Korean green chili peppers (Cheongyang peppers)
- 5 Korean wax peppers (Ggwari peppers)
- 1/2 stalk of green onion
- 1 red chili pepper
Seasoning & Broth
- 1 cup kimchi juice
- 1 cup rice water
- 1 Tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp ginger wine (or cooking wine)
- 1 Tbsp perilla oil
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1 cup kimchi juice
- 1 cup rice water
- 1 Tbsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp ginger wine (or cooking wine)
- 1 Tbsp perilla oil
- Pinch of black pepper
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare the aged kimchi. Gently shake out the filling from the kimchi and chop off the thick stem parts. If the kimchi is too sour, you can lightly rinse it in water before using.
Step 2
Prepare the vegetables. Slice the purple onion thinly. Slice the green chili peppers, wax peppers, and red chili pepper diagonally. Chop the green onion into large diagonal pieces. Adding kimchi juice will give the stew a deeper, more delicious flavor.
Step 3
Lay half of the prepared aged kimchi on the bottom of a pot. Add the canned mackerel, including its juice, on top of the kimchi. The bones in canned mackerel are soft and don’t need to be removed.
Step 4
Cover the mackerel with the remaining aged kimchi. Arrange the sliced purple onion and wax peppers on top. The vegetables will add sweetness as they cook.
Step 5
Add the gochugaru and minced garlic as seasoning. Finally, arrange the diagonally sliced green onion and red chili pepper attractively on top. Add the perilla oil and black pepper now to enhance the aroma.
Step 6
Carefully pour the kimchi juice and rice water into the pot. Using rice water will make the broth smoother and add more umami. Cover with a lid and bring to a rolling boil over high heat.
Step 7
Once the stew starts boiling vigorously, reduce the heat to medium. Cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until the broth has reduced and the ingredients are tender. Spooning some of the broth over the ingredients occasionally will help them absorb the seasoning evenly.
Step 8
To eat the finished braised mackerel with aged kimchi, take a piece of mackerel and kimchi, roll them up together, and enjoy with rice. It’s so delicious, you’ll finish a bowl of rice in no time!
Step 9
If you prefer a slightly crisper texture for your kimchi, reduce the cooking time slightly. This will retain the kimchi’s pleasant crunch. Be careful not to overcook, as the kimchi might become too mushy.
Step 10
The combination of tender, flaky mackerel and crisp, chewy aged kimchi is fantastic. The sourness of the kimchi, the richness of the mackerel, and the spiciness of the seasoning come together perfectly, creating an unforgettable dish when eaten with rice.
