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21 (Mon) November 2011

Gwamegi

1.5

by CJH

at their home

-Oksu, Seongdong, Seonl, Republic of Korea-

with DJ, MtG + gf, CJH + KKH, Rider + gf, CSW

Gwamegi (과메기) is semi-dried fish.  Traditionally made with herring (cheongeo) – or any fish inherently oily/fatty, such as pike mackerel (ggongchi) (as here).  The drying is accomplished through a repeated cycle of freezing and thawing, traditionally undertaken outdoors during the winter for a period of around 10 days.  The partial dehydration intensifies the fishiness of the flesh while leaving the surface greasy to the touch.

My first experience with gwamegi, everyone at the table was curious to see how I’d react.  Although I didn’t enjoy it particularly, I also didn’t find it to be particularly objectionable.  The texture was chewy yet slightly soft, as a fish jerky would be, and the greasy residue simply felt like a light coat of oil.  The fishiness was masked/offset/balanced by the layers of additional ingredients in the wrap, including the sour-spicy chogochujang sauce and the minty perilla leaf, as well as the briny seaweed and laver.  Then again, anything tastes fresh compared to hongeo hoe, which was also on the table.

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