Frozen Pollack StewDongtae Jjigae

A colleague from overseas came to Seoul for a conference. On his last evening, he wanted authentic Korean food that wasn't on tourist menus. Dongtae jjigae fit that description exactly — frozen pollack stew is a Korean home kitchen staple with no international reputation whatsoever.

Dongtae simply means 'frozen pollack' — whole pollack frozen soon after the catch. (The fish that's dried over winter in the mountain air of Gangwon province is a different product, hwangtae.) Frozen pollack turns soft and tender in the pot and soaks up hot, spicy broth readily. Each piece becomes a concentrated delivery vehicle for gochugaru and anchovy stock.

He held a piece up on his chopsticks and examined it. He said it was softer than any fish he'd eaten — not firm, almost pillowy — and that it tasted like the broth itself. Which is exactly right.

The preparation is unusual: you cut the fish while still partially frozen. The semi-frozen state means the flesh doesn't fall apart under the knife. Once it goes into the boiling stock, it thaws and cooks simultaneously, soaking up the broth from the inside out.

The radish goes in the bottom of the pot — not to protect the fish, but because radish releases its sweetness slowly and benefits from the longer cooking time. The tofu and zucchini add body and texture in the final five minutes. By the time it's done, the entire pot is unified: red, spicy, fragrant, and deeply satisfying over plain white rice.