Korean fish soup is usually spicy and red in colour thanks to all the chilli. This is my mild, pale version – ‘jiri’ means white and refers to both the fish and the broth. Given the delicacy of the flavours, you need a really good stock, made here with the sea-salty flavour of mussels. This soup is designed to be served from a pot in the centre of the table for everyone to share.
Serves
4
Ingredients
- 4 × 200g skin-on cod fillets
- 1/2 tablespoon coarse sea salt, plus 1 tablespoon for seasoning
- 500g mussels
- ¼ onion, sliced
- 1 tablespoon sliced garlic
- 2 whole dried chillies
- 90g chrysanthemum greens, washed and sliced into 3cm lengths
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons All-purpose soy sauce wasabi paste, to taste
Directions
Coat the cod fillets in the salt and leave to cure for 3–4 hours.
Prepare the mussels by scrubbing the shells with steel wool under cold running water and remove the beards.
Place the mussels in a pot and cover with water. Add the onion, garlic and dried chillies, cover and bring to the boil over a high heat. Once the soup boils, remove the lid and season with salt (be aware that mussel soup can overflow easily). Discard any mussels that haven’t opened.
Place the salted cod pieces in the mussel soup and boil for 5–7 minutes.
While the cod is cooking, prepare the sauce by mixing the soy sauce and wasabi to taste in a bowl.
Once the cod is cooked, add the chrysanthemum greens and cook for another 1 minute. Remove from the heat and scoop into serving bowls with the sauce alongside for dipping.
Recipe extracted from Chae: Korean Slow Food for a Better Life by Jung Eun Chae
Published by Hardie Grant Books, RRP $70
Photography: Armelle Habib
