According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, South Korea ranks as one of the top consumers of seafood in the world. The diversity of seafood and its accessibility to the common people gave rise to a wealth of dishes and culinary traditions that make up a significant part of Korean cuisine.
Each distinctive coastal region is recognized for its unique sea products; Jeju Island, famous for its abalone, also produces one of the most beloved regional foods – eun-galchi (silver cutlassfish). Because of its long and narrow body and lustrous sheen, the silver cutlassfish (as suggested by its name) resembles a shining sword. In contrast to muk-galchi, which are caught in bulk and lose their shine in friction with each other, eun-galchi are caught individually by line fishing, which allows the fish to retain their steely coats.
A culinary trip around Jeju Island would not have been complete without a meal consisting of this fish, so we decided to have some braised cutlassfish (or hairtail as it's also commonly called). Our tong-galchi-jorim – whole cutlassfish braised in a spicy sauce with white radish – arrived in a long, black trough to be set on two burners placed side by side at the edge of our table. Once the hellish red contents reached an angry boil, we were each served a piece of the almost meter-long fish. Separating the white meat from the fine bones took a bit of effort, but it was tender and otherwise pleasantly palatable. The sauce itself qualified this galchi dish as what Koreans refer to as bap-dodook (#밥도둑), or “rice thief” – a tasty food that compels you to eat a lot more rice than usual.
The bloody mess of a table we left behind ㅡ empty bowls and plates splashed with red sauce and crumpled napkins stained orange ㅡ surely attested to a meal properly enjoyed.
Daegijeong
Address: 41 Ieodo-ro Seogwipo-si Jeju-do
Hours: 10:30AM~9:00PM
대기정 주소: 제주도 서귀포시 이어도로 41 영업시간: 10:30~21:00
