Maeuntang Jijgae (Korean Spicy Fish Stew)

1Before we Begin: Hopefully, you have a great "fish guy" where you can get fresh fish, cleaned and chopped. If not, take the time to remove the fins, innards, and scales. Once clean, remove the head, the tail (in a 4-5 In piece because it's thinner), and cut the remaining fish into +3 In chunks. Split the head into 2 (into left & right pieces) to expose the most surface area you can. Now I use the head for flavor in my broth but I don't serve it (some people can be funny about this), if you want to use it in your final product then put it aside with the rest of the fish. For me, I place the head in a large pot, and the remaining fish pieces in the fridge.

2Making the Broth: To the pot with the split fish head, add the anchovies, dried kelp, garlic, ginger, and the 8 cups of water. Bring it up to a boil, and reduce it medium heat (you want things to roll a bit, but not make a mess). We are going to let this go for 45 Min (or so), if you see a foam in the first 15 min rise to the top, skim this off for a cleaner broth.

3While your broth is cooking, lets prepare the rest of our ingredients. If you haven't started your rice, this is a good time to do that. Now traditionally this soup doesn't have this much mu (Korean radish), but who can resist amping things up adding more of the peppery, crisp goodness to soak up the broth and make it hearty. Peel the Mu. There is a thick skin on the mu that needs to be removed. The layer right under the skin can be bitter, so I take off 2 passes with a vegetable peeler. Slice the Leeks & Peppers & set all aside.

4After 45 min or so, remove the kelp, anchovies & heads from the stock and toss them - they have given up all of their flavor to the stock. Try and keep the onion, garlic & ginger in the pot. Add the mu (Korean Radish) to the broth, and bring it up to a boil. Turn back down to medium, and add in the soy sauce, Gochujang, Doenjang, Fish Sauce & the leeks. Cook for about 30 minutes & add the fish to the pot. You may need to kick the heat up for a bit to bring things back to a boil before lowering back to medium. Once you add the fish, try not to disturb the fish (over stirring will cause the fish to break apart). Give it another 30 min or so, check the radish for tenderness & check the seasoning. If salt is needed, add a bit of soy & fish sauce. If not spicy enough, add a bit more Gochugaru. If a bit of sweetness is needed, add the mirim/mirin.

5To serve warm a bowl, ladle the soup in, and gently place the fish in careful not to break it apart. If using, top with the Korean pepper & Chrysanthemum greens for garnish. Serve with a side of white rice & a bowl that can be used as a bone yard for the fish bits.