Each month I’m highlighting a different non-Ina cookbook – these can be old favorites, classics I need to try, or new books I’m excited about. I’ll make at least one recipe from each chapter of the book to get an overall flavor of each. For the month of May, the book is Eric Kim’s Korean American. I hope you’ll cook along with me! The book is available for purchase here.
Pan-Fried Yellow Croaker
I faced my fear of cooking whole fish starting with this dish. My original plan was to buy, scale, (possibly gut) and then cook the fish, but the Hmart near me only had scaled/gutted yellow croaker so I dodged having to do the whole thing. That’s the part that intimidates me the most, but that will have to wait for another day. The preparation of this is simple – the filets are heavily salted and placed in the fridge overnight to dry out a bit. The next day you pan fry until golden brown and crispy on both sides. Another dish that proves simplicity is best when done right. The flakey white fish with crispy skin was seasoned perfect!
Book: Korean American, page 162
Rating: 5/5
How Easy Is That: Easy
Store-Bought Is Fine: —
Pricey Ingredients: —
Recipe is not online.
Old Bay Shrimp Cocktail with Wasabi Chojang
Very few dishes are as classic as a shrimp cocktail at a party! For this spin, Eric cooks the shrimp in boiling water infused with lemon and Old Bay seasoning. The Old Bay didn’t come through for me – I may sprinkle a little on the shrimp next time! The dipping sauce skips the horseradish and gets its heat from the wasabi and gochujang – a word of warning to the spice averse that wasabi really hits you in the back of your mouth and will 100 percent clear your sinuses!
Book: Korean American, page 170
Rating: 5/5
How Easy Is That: Easy
Store-Bought Is Fine: wasabi paste
Pricey Ingredients: —
Recipe is not online
Ganjang Gejang
I was so intrigued by the beautiful photo, I had to try this dish and get over my fear of killing 2 pounds of blue crab – since the crabs aren’t cooked you need to buy them live and kill them yourself right before marinating. Unsure of where to find live blue crab near me, I stopped by a seafood shop in Chinatown and was able to get a dozen for $16! Fifteen minutes in the freezer numbs the crabs with the added benefit of making them a little less mobile. To kill, you pierce the center bottom (where the heart is) and slice down decisively. I felt like a crab serial killer. You then clean the crabs and added them to the cooled soy mixture imparted with jalapenos, garlic, ginger, onion, red apple, dried kelp, green plum syrup, and brown sugar. The crabs are refrigerated in the liquid for up to two days before you’re ready to dig in. The delicate crab meat turns a light brown and soaks in the sweet, very salty, nicely spicy liquid. Garnished with thinly sliced jalapeno and served with rice to balance the saltiness. It’s a lot of work getting the crab meat out, but believe me, it’s worth the effort. Take your time and savor every morsel!
Book: Korean American, page 176
Rating: 5/5
How Easy Is That: Easy
Store-Bought Is Fine: soup soy sauce
Pricey Ingredients: —
Recipe on Saveur.com
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