Pan-fried seasoned Spanish mackerel

Today, I’ll show you how to make Samchi-yangnyeom-gui: pan-fried seasoned Spanish mackerel. Last month, when I traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico, I was lucky enough to stay at a place right by the beach. Early in the morning, I could buy fresh fish directly from the fishermen coming in on their boats. I enjoyed eating sashimi (“hoe” in Korean), making stew, grilling with salt, and having plenty of fish. The most important thing when it comes to fish is freshness!

I filmed two videos for you, one of which is this dish. The other one is a seasoned raw fish (hoe-muchim) recipe, which I’ll share with you next time.

Samchi-yangneyom-gui is savory, and just a little sweet and soft and it doesn’t have any fishy smell at all! I use Spanish mackerel but you could also use mackerel, cod or snapper for this dish. This was a regular item I made for my children’s lunchboxes when they were young. They loved it! Even people who don’t consider themselves fish people like samchi-yangneyom-gui.

It’s not just for lunchboxes; it’s also great as a regular side dish. Why don’t you give it a try, and maybe even prepare a lunchbox like I’m showing you here? I guarantee you will become one more samchi-yangneyom-gui fan!

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 1 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons mirim cooking wine (also known as mirin)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoons minced peeled ginger
• A pinch of ground black pepper
• 8 ounces Spanish mackerel fillets
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup cooking oil
• 2 tablespoons rice syrup (or sugar), optional
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions

Marinate the fish filets

1. In a large, shallow bowl, combine soy sauce, mirim, garlic, ginger, and ground black pepper. Mix well.
2. Cut the fillets crosswise into pieces approximately 2 inches long and about ½ inch thick.

3. Add the pieces to the marinade. Mix thoroughly to ensure even seasoning.

Coat and fry the fish

1. Put the flour on a baking sheet or cutting board. Remove the fish from the marinade and coat each piece evenly with flour, reserving the leftover marinade for later.

2. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the cooking oil. Once hot, add the fish pieces and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until crispy and lightly browned on the bottom.

3. Flip the fish over with a spatula and cook until the other side is light brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes more or until cooked thoroughly.

4. Discard excess oil from the skillet.

5. Add the leftover sauce and the rice syrup to the skillet. Push the fish to one side of the skillet and then tilt it so the opposite, empty corner is directly over the heat. Heat the sauce and rice syrup there until it’s bubbling nicely, then level the skillet and cover the fish with the bubbling sauce. Stir with a wooden spoon to coat them evenly.

Finish and serve

1. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the sesame oil. Transfer the cooked fish to a serving plate and sprinkle with the chopped green onion and toasted sesame seeds.

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