Today, we will cook-up some galchi. Galchi is better known as beltfish or hairtail fish. Long, silver eel-like fish. They're real ugly but taste delicious! We will pair it with two other delicious banchans: Spinach Kimchi & Shiitake-Zucchini Stirfry.
Koreans typically cook fish with the bone-in. Then, we pick them out with chopsticks as we eat. Galchi, however, has many small bones at the top and bottom of its body. If you are not too saavy with chopsticks, I would recommend filleting each of the fish cut. Here is a good YouTube video for that.
Today, we will pair galchi with a bowl of Spinach Kimchi. Well, not really Kimchi - more like a simple salad. But the salad marinade tastes very similar to Kimchi paste. My mom was fond of this salad as it was fast-to-make and complements any meat dish. You can throw in other greens like arugula and radicchio for more variety.
At home, my mom likes to serve a small meat dish next to fish. Surf n' Turf - as they say 🙂 Today, we will not cook meat. But replace it with Shiitake Mushrooms. Pan-fry and toss these mushrooms with sliced zucchinis. The two work well and make for a well-balanced meal.
As always, no need to stick to the script. Feel free to mix and match with other banchans. Enjoy the rest of the week Neighbors!
Galchi, Spinach Kimchi & Shiitake-Zucchini Banchans
Ingredients
Pan-fried Galchi
- Galchi Hairtail Fish - 1 whole
- Mirin - few splashes optional
- Salt - few shakes
- Black pepper - few shakes
- All-purpose flour - few shakes
Fresh Spinach Kimchi
- Spinach - few handfuls
- Sesame seeds - few shakes optional, garnish
Spicy Marinade
- Gochugaru - 1 Tablespoon
- Sugar - ½ Tablespoon
- Minced garlic - ½ Tablespoon
- Soy sauce - 2 Tablespoons
- Sesame oil - 1 Tablespoon
Shiitake Mushroom & Zucchini Stir-fry
- Shiitake mushrooms - 3 whole
- Zucchini - ½ your forearm-sized
- Salt - few shakes
- Onion - ½ whole
- Spring onion - few pinches garnish
Mushroom Marinade Sauce
- Soy sauce - 1 Tablespoon
- Minced garlic - ½ Tablespoon
- Sugar - 2 pinches
Stir-fry Seasoning
- Mirim - ½ Tablespoon optional
- Sesame oil - 1 teaspoon
- Salt - few shakes
- Black pepper - few shakes
Instructions
Grilled Galchi
- Remove all innards and clean the fish. Then use your knife to scrape off the silver skin (reference video). Give each piece a thorough rinse under running water. Then let it drip-off any excess water.
- Take out a mixing bowl. Place each fish cut (or fillet) in. Pour a few splashes of mirin onto them. Use your hands to soak each piece in it. Then put each fillet onto a cutting board. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Then put each fish piece into a plastic bag. Pour a few shakes of flour into the bag. Then seal the bag and give it a nice shake. Each piece should now be thoroughly coated and ready to fry.
- Put your frying pan on a medium heat. Put some oil in. Once it is hot, place each fish piece in. Cook both sides until you get a golden brown.
Fresh Spinach Kimchi
- Give your spinach a rinse under cold water. Let it drip-off excess water.
- Then make the marinade: Mix gochuargu, sugar, minced garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil.
- Take a few spoonfuls of this marinade and place into a bowl. Then toss the spinach in it.
- Plate and garnish with a few shakes of sesame seeds
Shiitake Mushroom & Zucchini Stir-fry
- Cut mushroom, zucchini and onions into thin slices.
- Take out a small mixing bowl. Place zucchini slices in. And season them with a few shakes of salt (not too much!). Set aside.
- Take out another mixing bowl. Make mushroom marinade sauce. Then place the mushroom slices into the marinade and give a quick mix. Set aside.
- Now take out a large frying pan. Put some oil in and place on a medium-high heat. Once its hot, place the mushrooms in. Once the mushrooms get a slightly crispy side, add in the zucchini and onions. And once the zucchinis start to slightly wilt, add in the ingredients listed under Stir-fry Seasoning.
- Stir-fry everything for 15-20 seconds. Plate and garnish with spring onions. Bon Appetit!
Notes
- Galchi has many small bones, so I would recommend filleting it first.
- See video below for more details
How long can you store the spinac kimchi?
Best to eat within 1-3 days.