Korean-Style Marinated Pink Salmon (He)

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather the ingredients for the Korean-style pink salmon he. I used the tail section of the fish.

2. Step 2:

   

   Rinse the fish thoroughly and pat it dry. Cut it lengthwise, remove the skin, and take out the backbone and bones. I ended up with 350 g of fillet — I measured the spices against the weight of the clean fillet.

3. Step 3:

   

   Cut the salmon fillet crosswise into pieces about 1/2 inch (1-1.5 cm) thick. Chilling the fish in the freezer a bit makes it easier to cut clean, even pieces.

4. Step 4:

   

   Put the fish in a glass or enamel dish, add the sugar and salt, and mix gently. Let it stand for 15 minutes.

5. Step 5:

   

   Toast the whole coriander seeds in a dry skillet, stirring, for 1-1.5 minutes to bring out their aroma. You can use pre-ground coriander, but unlike freshly toasted whole seeds it won't have as rich and pronounced a flavor.

6. Step 6:

   

   Add the vinegar essence to the fish and stir. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let it sit for 20 minutes.

7. Step 7:

   

   During this time, stir the fish a couple of times so the pieces marinate evenly. The fish will gradually turn paler, which means the marinating is doing its work.

8. Step 8:

   

   Peel the onion and cut it into fairly thick half-rings.

9. Step 9:

   

   Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet and add half the onion. Fry it over moderate heat until golden, stirring occasionally. Don't worry about the amount of oil — it'll act as part of the marinade.

10. Step 10:

    

    Add the other half of the onion (raw) to the fish and stir.

11. Step 11:

    

    Take the hot oil and fried onion off the heat, wait for the bubbling to stop, and immediately stir in the paprika and pepper. Mix well. This briefly "blooms" the spices and colors the oil, giving the dish a special flavor and color.

12. Step 12:

    

    Pour the hot oil and onion over the fish and stir gently.

13. Step 13:

    

    Grind the toasted coriander. It's best to do this right before using it, to preserve as much of the spice's aroma as possible.

14. Step 14:

    

    Add the ground coriander to the fish and stir.

15. Step 15:

    

    Peel the garlic and mince it however is easiest — grated, pressed, or finely chopped.

16. Step 16:

    

    Shred the carrot on a julienne grater (the kind used for Korean carrot salad).

17. Step 17:

    

    Add the garlic and carrot to the fish and stir.

18. Step 18:

    

    Pour in the soy sauce and mix well. Cover and refrigerate to marinate for 4-5 hours, or preferably overnight, stirring a couple of times along the way.

19. Step 19:

    

    To serve, sprinkle the pink salmon he with sesame seeds toasted in a dry skillet and garnish with fresh parsley. Enjoy!