Cycle 16 – Item 6

-Post 5,486-

12 (Sun) January 2024

Deep-Fried “Pacific Ocean Perch” in Ginger Soy Sauce

3.5

by me

at home

-Changgok, Sujeong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-

with W and IZ

Jangmun Bollak (볼락) is a type of fish.  Perhaps the same fish as Sebastes alutus in Linnaean taxonomy, or Pacific ocean perch / Pacific rockfish / rose fish / red bream / red perch in English (though determining equivalent nomenclature for fish species across languages is always tricky).  Not widely available in Korea, though imports have been on the rise, especially at bigger retail outlets (e.g., E-Mart).

While the pack came with sachets of herb salt and olive oil, presumably to encourage making a western-style skillet application, as shown in the photo on the label, I bought it to make my Chinese-style deep-fried dish, inspired by the scores on the sides of the fish (see generally 14.295 Deep-Fried Snapper in Ginger-Soy Sauce).

Upon opening the pack at home, I was disappointed to discover that the fish was filleted down the middle.  On the plus side, halves were quicker to fry.

The fish was quite nice.  White, firm flesh with a dense and pleasantly chewy texture, good for deep-frying.  Mild flavor paired well with the ginger soy sauce.  Tasty skin.  Will definitely be buying more of these.

(See all FISH IN KOREA)

(See all GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)