Listeners, thank you so much for listening in and thank you for your comments about Korean seafood. I thought that today, we could go a bit further into detail about it. First, let’s talk Korean raw fish or hwae. Korean raw fish is quite different from Japanese sashimi for the preparation and philosophy behind it are quite contrasting. The Japanese technique of preparing fish is to ferment it which will help preserve the fish and changes the texture so it is very soft. Also, the rice is fermented or vinegar is added to add a sourness to the fish. The Korean way of eating raw fish is to have it as fresh as possible. Once the fish has been killed, it is immediately sliced and then served a top of slivered radish which absorbs the oils from the flesh. The object is to have the fish to be chewy and fresh tasting. The philosophy of eating the fish this way is that the fresher the ingredients are, easier it is to digest and to get the optimal amount of energy from it.

Eating raw fish is considered a delicacy and a special occasion food. Of course Korea is the land of kimchi and fermentation and if there is an overabundance of fish or if they are trying to save the food, they also dry or salt-cure the seafood. But the refined way to eat it is to make a lettuce wrap.

Koreans will take a leaf of lettuce or a perilla leaf and then add a piece or two of raw fish. Then they will a sliver of raw garlic, a sliver of chili and then add some ssamjang- a fermented bean paste sauce, wrap and eat. The other way to eat it is to dip the raw fish into some chogochujang or vinegared red chili paste. Don’t worry, the sauce isn’t too spicy.

Almost all different types of Korean seafood can be eaten this way including the orangy seasquirt which has a texture like oysters and has an elusive briney and astringent flavor. Korea is really famous for their abalone they are great raw as well, they also have high quality sea cucumbers. The brine in the sea cucumber are used as a dressing in special sashimi platters.

The most interesting raw fish has got to be live octopus or sangnakji. This is a smaller octopus that is about 20 centimeters long (from head to tail) that is chopped using a heavy knife into smaller, “chopstick-friendly” pieces that are dipped in a sauce made of sesame oil and salt and eaten. The interesting part of this dish is that throughout the entire process the octopus will be moving. The octopus’s nerves will keep moving the whole time. Don’t worry, it tastes just like very fresh fish. Koreans also believe that this is a great energizing food.