Braised mackerel with radish

Godeungeo-mujorim 고등어무조림

I’m very excited to introduce you to this popular Korean side dish, “godeungeo-mujorim,” which is braised mackerel and radish in soy sauce based broth. Along with grilled mackerel, this is the most popular way of cooking mackerel in Korean cuisine.

I love not only the fish but also the cooked radish. The texture of the cooked radish is soft, juicy, and a little sweet and salty. When you cook this dish, expect your house to be full of a delicious aroma that might lead your neighbors to knock at your door and say with sniff sniff:

“Where does this delicious smell come from? It makes me go crazy! uh? Is this mackerel? Holy mackerel!  It looks so tasty! Can you share some with me?”

For 4 servings
Cooking time: 50-60 minutes

Ingredients

Mackerel, soy sauce, sugar, Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru), garlic, ginger, Korean radish (or daikon), onion, green onions, green and red chili peppers.

Directions

Prepare 2 medium sized fresh or frozen mackerel (750 grams, or 1.7 pounds). Thaw them out if frozen.

  1. Cut off the fins and heads.
  2. Make a slit from the top to the vent and clean the guts.
  3. Cut the fish across into 2 inch pieces, rinse in cold water, drain, and set aside

Prepare your vegaetables:

  1. Peel a large, heavy Korean radish. Cut 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) worth of  radish into pieces 2 inch wide, 2½ inch long, and 1 inch thick.
  2. Add the radish pieces to a large thick bottomed pot with. Spread them out evenly, by hand.
  3. 1 large onion or 2 medium sized onions (about 400 grams’, or 2 cups’ worth), cut into ¼ inch thick slices and  place over the radish.
  4. Cut 3 stalks of green onions into pieces 1 inch long, and chop 2 green chili peppers and 1 red chili pepper. Set aside

Let’s make godeungeo jorim:

  1. Place the mackerel on top of the pieces of radish.
  2. Make seasoning sauce in a bowl by mixing ½ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup hot pepper flakes, 2 tbs sugar, ⅓  cup garlic cloves minced (12 cloves), and 1 tbs of minced ginger.
  3. Pour the seasoning sauce over the fish. Pour in 1 cup of water along the edges of the pot.
  4. Close the lid and bring to a boil over high heat for 20 minutes.
  5. Open the lid, tilt the pot, and use a spoon to push aside the mackerel and radish to make empty spot for the broth to well.
  6. Scoop some broth from the empty spot and pour it over top of the fish and radish. Repeat several times.
  7. Add the chopped green onion, green and red chili peppers.
  8. Close the lid and lower the heat to a simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the radish is cooked thoroughly. The radish will absorb the soy sauce based broth, so it will look brownish and a little translucent when cooked nicely.
  9. Open the lid and turn up the heat to boil off excess broth.
  10. Tilt the pot and use a spoon to push aside the mackerel and radish to make empty spot for the broth to well.
  11. Scoop some broth from the empty spot and pour it over top of the fish and radish. Repeat it off and on for about 5-7 minutes.
  12. Turn off the heat and transfer to a serving plate. Serve with rice, kimchi, soup, lettuce, and a few more side dishes.

Posted on Monday, August 29th, 2011 at 11:37 am. Last updated on July 29, 2021.
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57 Comments:

  1. Noetherian New Jersey joined 4/20 & has 3 comments
    Posted April 27th, 2020 at 1:57 pm | or create a profile.

    Thank you for the delicious recipe Maangchi! I was out of sugar so I used honey instead and I loved the outcome!


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  2. jasperridge San Diego, California joined 2/14 & has 7 comments
    Posted April 24th, 2020 at 12:22 am | or create a profile.

    Loved this! I only had canned mackerel but it was still delicious. I’ll use fresh next time.


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  3. ukiyo turkey joined 1/20 & has 1 comment
    Posted January 31st, 2020 at 11:43 am | or create a profile.

    I tried this recipe and wow it tastes good. Thank you for recipe. I love you

  4. AlexanderKim Boston, MA, USA joined 4/18 & has 5 comments
    Posted October 12th, 2018 at 2:19 pm | or create a profile.

    One of my favorite dishes! Luckily, in Massachusetts, there are lots of mackerel near the coast. I made this dish in the afternoon with mackerel and bonito that I had just caught that morning! Soooo fresh


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  5. Jae_yong Uk joined 12/16 & has 2 comments
    Posted December 22nd, 2016 at 9:53 pm | or create a profile.

    Hello! I am having problems getting mackerel , do you think that I could do this with salmon? If so what would the cooking time be?

  6. Jenmei joined 4/15 & has 2 comments
    Posted April 23rd, 2015 at 2:12 am | or create a profile.

    Annyeonghseyo Maangchi!

    I live in Male(Maldives). So lots of fresh tuna fish are available here but i cant find mackerels . so can i replace the above recipe godeungeo-mujorim with tuna and normal white radish.

    Warm Regards,
    Jenna Gangmei

  7. Joe.C Seattle WA joined 11/14 & has 2 comments
    Posted November 27th, 2014 at 12:46 am | or create a profile.

    Hi Maanchi, I am new here posted in wrong place -sorry. My wife is from Pusan, and misses her mothers Belt fish stew. I think this is the same recipe just Belt fish in place of Mackerel. Will Belt Fish work? If not can you post a belt fish recipe?
    Thank you
    Joe.C Seattle WA

  8. mandy-chan New York joined 2/11 & has 2 comments
    Posted October 8th, 2014 at 4:46 am | or create a profile.

    I made this for dinner for my family, so delicious and easy, think this is going to become a regular dinner for us!! I’m actually looking forward to the leftovers!

  9. Miss Kim78 socali joined 3/13 & has 40 comments
    Posted November 6th, 2013 at 5:40 am | or create a profile.

    What other fish have you made jorim with? Mackerel is great, but I’m sure other fish can be delicious for this recipe too, right? When I didn’t have mackerel, I used a Blue Dog fish. It was still delish. I have a pic with a bunch of fishes that my friend caught when he went fishing. Which fishes (from the pic) would be good for jorim? http://www.behgopa.com/2013/11/fishy-fishy-fishy.html

    Do you ever go fishing, Maangchi?

  10. ina78 Jerteh, Terengganu, Malaysia joined 4/09 & has 45 comments
    Posted October 5th, 2013 at 8:03 am | or create a profile.

    Well, I tried it and it was so delicious. … the smells that come when I cooked it was so…. good…. definitely will make it another time… yummy, yummy…..

  11. erik000 san diego, ca joined 1/13 & has 1 comment
    Posted January 3rd, 2013 at 1:43 am | or create a profile.

    this broth is delicious with any combination of fish and/or vegetables… i did salmon and daikon with it, and also a vegetarian version using sweet potato and carrot instead of mackerel! :-)
    thanks for the recipe!

  12. YeonAh Montreal, Québec joined 5/11 & has 9 comments
    Posted October 5th, 2012 at 5:33 pm | or create a profile.

    Hi Maangchi! I really really want to try making this for my parents, it looks so good! But my dad won’t eat anything with fish bones still inside :( If I take the fish off the bones before braising, or buy just the frozen fillets where it’s already off the bone, will the recipe still be as yummy?

  13. nalalala Melbourne, Australia joined 6/12 & has 2 comments
    Posted June 1st, 2012 at 7:07 pm | or create a profile.

    Hi Maangchi! My husband and I LOVED this recipe! Thank you for doing what you do. I’ve learned so much from you.

  14. ina78 Jerteh, Terengganu, Malaysia joined 4/09 & has 45 comments
    Posted April 27th, 2012 at 10:52 pm | or create a profile.

    Maangchi,
    If I want to make Braised Hairtail Fish, can I used the same recipes….? well, when I search for hairtail fish, I found a video about Braised Hairtail Fish at Namdaemun alley, it’s look so delicous, this is the link :
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiPar4VOL9Y&feature=player_detailpage#t=0s

    I’m not sure if you can or not to find the link, so this the tittle for that video…
    Namdaemun alley of Braised Hairtail Fish

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