Of the many types of jeon (or pan-fried battered food) in Korean cuisine, saeng sun jeon (fish jeon) is among the more popular, especially during the autumn festival Chuseok. Don’t stop there: The crispy fish strips are simple enough to make anytime you want a tasty banchan or appetizer. This traditional recipe calls for cod fillet, but any other flaky white fish would work well too.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 25 min |
| Active: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 2 to 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 pound cod fillet or any white-flesh fish, such as haddock or pollock
- Kosher salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon gochugaru (Korean red chile flakes), optional
Instructions
- Position an oven rack in the center and preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line a large plate or a baking sheet with paper towels.
- Slice the fish fillet 1/2 inch thick on a slight bias into pieces that are 1 1/2 to 2 inches long and place on the prepared plate. Pat the slices dry with the paper towels and season with both sides with 3/4 teaspoon salt.
- Prepare your dredging station: Add the flour to a large rimmed plate and whisk the eggs in a shallow medium bowl. Heat a large nonstick skillet with 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium-low heat.
- Working in two batches, dredge each fish slice in the flour, coating well on all sides. Shake off any excess flour, then dip and roll in the egg, making sure to coat thoroughly and with no flour peeping through. (All the slices can be dredged and sitting in flour, but coat one slice at a time in the egg.)
- Carefully lift the egg-coated slice and gently place in the heated skillet. Cook without disturbing until pale golden on the outside, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the cooked slices to a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack and keep warm in the oven while cooking the second batch. Wipe the skillet clean with paper towels and heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil before cooking the next batch.
- For the dipping sauce: Combine the vinegar, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons water, sugar and gochugaru if using in a small bowl and whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Serve with the fish jeon for dipping.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 444 |
| Total Fat | 25 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 25 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Protein | 27 g |
| Cholesterol | 201 mg |
| Sodium | 735 mg |