Fish in Korean food
Fish (생선)
Korean soups and stews are often built on a broth of dried anchovies. Fish can be dissolved in a soup or stew even when none is visible.
Where it hides in Korean food
Dried anchovies with kelp are the common base for Korean soup stock. Doenjang stew, kalguksu and janchi guksu usually use an anchovy broth too.
Kimchi is seasoned with salted seafood, and the southern regions in particular use plenty of salted anchovies. Fish sauces such as anchovy or sand lance sauce also season soups and stews, not just kimchi.
Fish cake made from fish paste often goes into tteokbokki and is a common gimbap filling. Soupy tteokbokki is often simmered in an anchovy and kelp broth.
Bugeo guk, a soup of dried pollack, is a common hangover soup, and stir-fried dried anchovies are one of the most typical side dishes.
How it is written in Korean
- 생선saengseonfish as food
- 멸치myeolchianchovy, common in soup stock
- 어묵eomukfish cake
- 고등어godeungeomackerel
- 명태myeongtaeAlaska pollock, also sold dried
- 참치chamchituna
These are common words, not a complete list. A word missing here does not mean the ingredient is missing from the food.
Korean law does not require packaged food to name this ingredient in its allergy box, so 생선(어류) can be in the food without showing up there. Read the full ingredient list for the words above. Mackerel (godeungeo) is the exception: it is on the required list and must be named in the box.
Dishes that contain it
Usually in it
Sometimes in it
- BibimbapAlbap, a named version, heaps fish roe such as flying fish roe on the rice.
- Budae-jjigae (army base stew)The broth is typically a fish, meat or bone stock rather than water, so fish can be in the soup without any seafood in the pot.
- Ganjang-gejang (soy sauce marinated raw crab)Some recipes steep dried bonito flakes in the brine as a stock base; you cannot see them once the liquid is strained.
- GimbapFish cake strips and canned tuna are both popular fillings, and a single shop often sells several rolls that differ only in which one is inside.
- Haemul-pajeon (seafood scallion pancake)Some recipes mix the batter with anchovy stock instead of plain water, so the batter itself can contain fish, apart from the seafood.
- JapchaeFish cake japchae uses sliced fish cake in place of the meat.
- Jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup)Some home-style jjamppong recipes season the seafood broth with tuna extract (chamchi-aek) alongside soy sauce and oyster sauce.
- Naengmyeon (cold noodles)Hoe-naengmyeon, a Hamhung variety, tops the spicy noodles with marinated raw fish, usually skate.
- SamgyeopsalThe dipping sauce is usually ssamjang, but some places serve meljeot, a salted anchovy sauce, or salted hairtail innards. It comes as a separate sauce, so you can decline it or ask them not to heat it on the grill.
Based on the 20 dishes this site has researched. Dishes not listed here can contain it too.
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Sources we checked
This page is based on the references listed here. They were found with AI and actually opened and checked, and nothing on the page is generated while you use it. Source titles stay in their original language, each one comes with a line on what we checked there, and each link opens the other site in a new tab.
How we research and check these sourcesShow the 12 sources behind this page
- Korean cuisine - Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
Dried anchovies with kelp are a common base for Korean soup stock.
- Doenjang-jjigae - Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
Doenjang stew is often made with an anchovy broth.
- Kal-guksu - Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
Kalguksu broth is often made from anchovies.
- Janchi-guksu - Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
Janchi guksu is served in an anchovy broth.
- Kimchi - Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
Kimchi is commonly seasoned with salted seafood such as anchovy jeotgal or with fish sauce.
- Jeotgal - Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
Jeotgal is salted seafood made from shrimp, oysters, clams, fish or roe.
- Tteokbokki - Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
Tteokbokki is often cooked with fish cake, and the soupy kind uses an anchovy broth.
- Fishcake - Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
Fish cake is made from fish paste.
- 북엇국 - 한국민족문화대백과사전 (opens in a new tab)
Bugeo guk, a soup of dried pollack, is eaten as a hangover soup.
- Banchan - Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
Stir-fried dried anchovies are a typical side dish.
- 반찬가게 창업ㆍ운영 > 준수사항 > 영업자의 준수사항 > 식품 등의 표시 기준 (본문) | 찾기쉬운 생활법령정보 (opens in a new tab)
Packaged food must name its allergens in a separate box near the ingredient list.
- 식품 등의 표시ㆍ광고에 관한 법률 시행규칙 - 국가법령정보센터 (opens in a new tab)
The annex to these labeling rules lists the allergens that packaged food must declare.