Korean Eel Fish Fry

Korean Eel Fish Fry

South Korea is located on the southern tip of the Korean peninsula which means the ocean surrounds South Korea from three sides. This allows for a booming seafood industry in the peninsula country. Fish, shrimp, lobsters, seaweed, etc are consumed daily and incorporated in to many traditional Korean foods. 

Eel is a fish that was once a delicacy in South Korea but now do to fish farms, it can be found throughout the country. The eel experience is quite like going to a Korean beef or pork BBQ restaurant as the eel is cooked right in front of you.

Depending on the restaurant the first step is choosing your eel or how much KG of eel you would like. A huge fish tank is usually located in the front of the eel restaurant and you pick the eel you would like to eat. The eel is filleted and the fillets are weighed and brought to your table. The other style of restaurant brings weighted fillets to your table.

The fillets are then put on to the grill which resembles a Korean BBQ style grill. The skin on the eel is left on and the eel is set to cook on the skin down side until it is ready to be flipped over to the flesh side. The skin as well as the back bone are consumed.

Once the outside (skin side) is cooked the fillets are flipped onto the flesh side and cooked up until the point of being well done to eliminate any parasites or contaminants on the fish. The smell of the eel is sweet well it is being cooked.

Once both sides of the eel have been cooked thoroughly and have a been browned the eel is cut up into smaller pieces. The eel is cut up because in Korea the culture is to share food from the grill. So the cut up pieces are left on the grill until they are cooked enough to consume.

Once the piece are ready the grill is turned down to allow the eel to stay warm but not continue to be cooked beyond the well done point. The taste of eel is very unique opposed to other fish like salmon and tuna. The closest fish in taste would be northern pike (jack fish). Eels live  on the bottom of the ocean or in caves so ocean fresh eels will have a stronger ocean style taste while farmed eel's are more mild. Depending on your tastes eel might be your favourite or least favourite fish.

The eel pieces are consumed with sauce made from beans or pepper sauce wrapped in sesame leaves. Soda or alcohol is also consumed too with the eels with multiple side dishes ranging from kimchi to soups. the whole experience is a sociable event. Eel restaurants are always alive and kicking on the weekends and after work.

If you visit south Korea and have the time visit an eel restaurant or a fish market as the experience is quite unique and could be a once in a lifetime experience.