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Korean Style Lake Smelt
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- Vegetable oil for frying
- ½ lb lake smelt, gutted, heads on or off
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- ½ tablespoon gochujang (Korean fermented pepper paste)
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 clove garlic, crushed into a paste
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- Cilantro to garnish
This Korean-style lake smelt is made in the fashion of myeolchi bokkeum, the delicious Korean banchan (mini-Korean side dishes) dish of dried anchovies in a spicy sauce. It is quite a pungent and powerful dish, so you only need a little bit, and it’s best served as a snack, a side, in a banchan spread, or with lots of white rice.
Directions
Step 1
Add at least 1 inch of oil to a skillet or wok. Slowly heat it up to 350°F.
Rinse off the lake smelt, then pat dry.
Step 2
Prepare the sauce by adding the gochugaru, water, soy, fish sauce, gochujang, sugar, and garlic into a bowl and mixing well.
Step 3
Pour the flour onto a plate or into a plastic bag and add the salt and pepper to season it. Toss the smelt in the flour, so that every one is coated in it.
Step 4
Working in 2 batches, fry the smelt in the hot oil for 3 minutes or until golden and crispy. Remove from the oil and let drain on a paper towel.
Step 5
Add the fried smelt to a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the sauce and toss the smelt in it so everything is coated. Cook, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and sticky. Add in the sesame seeds, then transfer to a plate or bowl.
Step 6
Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately. Enjoy!