Daegutang (Clear Cod Soup)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide 3-quart pot or Korean jeongol pot
• •Slotted spoon
• •Fine-mesh skimmer
• •Sharp knife and cutting board

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean the cod

   Rub the cod pieces gently with 1 tablespoon coarse salt, especially along the belly cavity and around the bones, then rinse under cold running water. Pull away any dark bloodline or black membrane. This is not fussiness. Those bits are where the muddy smell hides, and a clear soup has nowhere to conceal it.

   If using a cod head, remove the gills completely. Gills turn a broth bitter and gray.
2. 2

   Start the broth

   Put 6 cups water, the kelp, and the anchovies if using in a wide pot. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Pull the kelp out as soon as the water begins to move, after about 8 minutes, because kelp left too long turns the broth slick. Simmer the anchovies 7 minutes more, then remove them.

3. 3

   Cook the radish

   Add the radish and simmer 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges turn translucent and a chopstick goes in with a little resistance. Radish goes first because it sweetens the broth and needs more time than the fish. If you add everything together, the cod will be tired before the radish is ready.

4. 4

   Add cod gently

   Lower the cod pieces into the pot in one layer, then add the garlic, ginger, and soup soy sauce. Keep the broth at a quiet simmer, not a rolling boil, for 7 to 9 minutes. Do not stir hard. Spoon broth over the fish instead, because cod flakes easily and broken fish clouds the soup.

5. 5

   Add sprouts and tofu

   Add the soybean sprouts and tofu, if using, and simmer 4 minutes. Keep the lid off so the sprouts stay clean-tasting. They should bend but still keep a little crunch, giving the soup its plain, fresh lift.

6. 6

   Season at the end

   Add 1 teaspoon sea salt and taste the broth. Wait ten seconds before deciding, because hot broth hides salt at first. Add the extra 1/4 teaspoon only if it tastes flat. The soup should taste of cod, radish, and kelp, with salt holding the line underneath.

7. 7

   Finish and serve

   Scatter in the scallions, chilies if using, and minari or ssukgat. Cook 30 seconds, just until the greens relax. Finish with black pepper if you like, then serve at once with rice and a clean kimchi or mild banchan. Strong side dishes will bully this soup.

Chef Tips

• •Fresh cod should smell clean and faintly sweet, never sharp. The flesh should hold firmly to the bone. If the fish is soft or the belly looks ragged, my teacher would have sent it back without a word.
• •Bone-in pieces make a better broth than boneless fillets. Boneless cod works for a weeknight, but shorten the fish cooking time to 4 to 5 minutes and accept that the broth will be lighter.
• •Do not turn this into maeuntang by habit. A pinch of gochugaru is acceptable at the table for someone who wants heat, but the pot itself should stay clear.
• •Safe corners to cut: use a good store-bought kelp-anchovy broth and pre-cut cod from a fishmonger you trust. Do not cut the cleaning step or the gentle simmer. Those are the dish.

Advance Preparation

• •The kelp-anchovy broth can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Bring it back to a simmer before adding the radish.
• •Clean and cut the cod up to 4 hours ahead, then keep it covered in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Do not salt it heavily in advance, or the flesh firms too much.
• •This soup is best eaten the day it is made. Leftovers can be refrigerated 1 day and reheated gently, but the cod will flake more and the broth will lose some clarity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 540g)