Mackerel Pike Kimchi Stew
Mackerel pike kimchi stew is another popular Korean kimchi jjigae recipe. Adding a can of mackerel pike brings the taste of the ordinary kimchi stew to another level.
One of my favorite way of consuming overly fermented cabbage kimchi would be making into kimchi stew, of course. And this mackerel pike kimchi stew (kkongchi kimchi jjigae, 꽁치 김치찌개) is one of them I like. If you want to try Korean stew recipes, this is an easy one that you can’t mess it up.
There are many things you can throw in a Korean kimchi stew; pork, anchovies, tuna, ham, tofu, fish cakes, rice cakes. Perhaps Richard Parker, too, if you dare.
Today, I am trowing in a fish called “Mackerel pike”.
Canned Mackerel Pike
Mackerel pike is related to Mackerel family, but only smaller and slimmer. It’s a common fish fond in Korean cuisine and the grilling is the popular cooking method for this fish.
The canned mackerel pike is easily adapted in many Korean recipes. It happens to be my favorite kind of canned form of fish. You can eat the BONES!!! – a wonderful supplement of natural non-dairy calcium in a very affordable price.
You can easily find this canned form of delicious fish in any Korean stores. Make sure to pick “mackerel pike” not the mackerel.
I promise I won’t let you down with this Mackerel Pike Kimchi Stew (꽁치김치찌개, kkonchi kimchi jjigae). This is my favorite type of kimchi stew and I hope it can be yours, too.
Recipe Instructions
Drain your pikes but reserve about 1/4 cup of its juice.
Get your onion ready, chop your garlic and ginger, too.
In a small bowl, combine the reserved canned juice with Korean chili flakes, garlic, ginger, and Korean soy sauce for soup.
You gotta add kimchi juice when you make kimchi stew. Add the juice to the chili garlic mix in the bowl and combine well.
Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a pot and fry your truly sour kimchi for 5 minutes over medium heat. Oh, the aroma! There is something about fried kimchi. Salivation comes in automatically.
Hint: If your kimchi is too sour, add 1 tsp of sugar. This will neutralize the sourness a bit.
Add the fish and the onions on top.
Drizzle the sauce evenly over to our ocean friend.
Then pour some water to barely cover everything.
Boil first, then cover and simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes or until your kimchi is soft.
Then it will look like this. Season with more Korean soy sauce for soup if you need.
I like to throw some chilies on my stew but it is optional choice. If you add the chilies, cook 1-2 more minutes so that the flavor will mingle all together.
Bring your creation close to the light. Take a shot of your not-so-hard work of art.
Then, bring a bowl of rice piled high and dig in! You don’t need anything else, honestly. Well, maybe a tall glass of water?
I am so, so, soooo sorry that I am eating this all by myself. However, I am leaving the recipe below just for you. Some says that sharing is the icing on the cake. For me, it is the kimchi on the rice. 🙂
The world seems much better place when we share what we love. Hope you would give this a try!
Other Kimchi Stew Recipes
- Anchovy Kimchi Stew (Myulchi Kimchi Jjigae)
- Kimchi Stew (Kimchi Jjigae) with Tomatoes
- Kimchi Jjigae (Kimchi Stew with pork)
Mackerel Pike Kimchi Stew
Ingredients
- 1 (14 oz) can mackerel pike, reserve 1/4 cup of juice and drain the rest
- 2 cup kimchi, diced
- 1 tsp sugar, optional
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ginger, minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp Korean chili flakes (gochugaru)
- 1-2 tbsp Korean soup soy sauce (gukganjang)
- 3 tbsp kimchi juice
- 1 1/2 cup water, or more
- 1 each green and red chilies, sliced, optional
- 1 green onion, chopped
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of canned mackerel juice with garlic, ginger, Korean chili flakes, and soy sauce. Add the kimchi juice and combine well. Set aside.
- Heat grape seed oil in a shallow pot over medium heat and fry kimchi for 5 minutes until they get somewhat soft. (Add 1 teaspoon sugar if your kimchi is too sour)
- Add canned fish and onion to the pot and drizzle the chili garlic sauce over. Pour water to barely over everything. You might nee a little more.
- Bring to boil and cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Taste the stew and season more with soy sauce if you need.
- Add the chilies, if using, and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Garnish with green onion. Serve hot with rice.
Oh, I’m so going to try this! Would it work with fresh mackerel?
You can make this stew with fresh mackerel. But make sure your mackerel is very fresh and add a tiny bit of ginger to counteract the fish smell. Hope you like it.
Thank you so much Holly for this mouth-watering, delicious recipe! ^_^ It’s so true, with this meal, you don’t need any side dishes.
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Thank you for sharing this recipe! I just made it and it was delicious!
Made this recipe with Sardines – it was delicious! Thanks for sharing
I’m very interested to learn how make kimchi but I never try. I always used red chili instead of green but love both chili very much.
What kind of red and green chili did you use? Are they Korean peppers? I can’t find them in the supermarket. 😐
They are called finger long chilies. It common chili that you can see in most Asian countries. You can use any red or green chilies as long as they are not overly spicy.
Thank you for this recipe Holly! This is my favorite type of kimchee stew as well, so I was excited to come upon your website. I wish you many blessings! ^_^
thanks for genuinely recipes but some ingredients I’m cannot find in my country. I love your kimchee very much look like very delicious, TQVM
I love your post!!!
Just started making homemade kimchi and this is my first “real” kimchi recipe I will make
Dad
Hi, I just made your recipe using my home made kim chi and a can of mackerel pike from the local Korean store – it was AMAZING! The juice tasted like hot and sour soup and the other flavors were superb – thanks for this recipe!
If you want to use pork would you pre cook it or add it on top like the canned fish? Thanks!
No need to pre-cook the pork. Just add to kimchi and cook together.
This is going to be my first attempt at Kimchi stew! Excited! However, I can’t find mackrel pike canned here in Nova Scotia. Not even at my local Korean & asian grocery stores. Would sardines be an okay substitute? Or what about locally smoked mackrel? Not sure what the canned makrel pike tastes like so I dunno what a decent substitute would be. But I’ve got a good two cups of my homemade kimchi that is about 3 weeks old now and can’t wait to chuck it into a stew! Thanks for the wonderful recipe and pictures!
Hi Amy
Sardines would be wonderful to make kimchi stew with. Smoked mackerels will bring a little different flavor due to the smoked flavor. Try with sardines and let me know how you like it. Thanks!
Really interesting recipe! I’ll bet this would taste great with something like sardines, too. Wonderful pictures, too. Good stuff – thanks.
My umma always makes kimchi jigae with mackerel pike as well! (^ ^) My umma does cook the jigae differently though. XD
This is how mom used to make kimchi jjigae when I was a kid. She always used the mackerel pike and never used pork in our stew. I loved it! Thanks for sharing this!
When I make kimchi chigae, I actually only ever use kkongchi. I like the pork and beef versions that other members of my family make but I only ever make it with kkongchi. Always have a can or two in the pantry. Just in case.
Thanks for the great recipes! I’ve been reading for a while but have never commented before. Cheers!