Jeotgukji (Salted-Seafood Cabbage Kimchi)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large basin for salting cabbage
• •Fine sieve
• •2-liter glass fermentation jar or small onggi
• •Fermentation weight or small clean plate

Instructions

1. 1

   Quarter the cabbage

   Trim the root end just enough to clean it, then cut the cabbage lengthwise into quarters through the core. Keep a little core attached so the leaves hold together. Rinse between the leaves and shake off the extra water. Even quarters salt evenly; uneven cabbage gives you one soft piece and one raw-tasting piece in the same jar.

2. 2

   Salt the leaves

   Dissolve 1/2 cup coarse sea salt in 6 cups water. Dip each cabbage quarter in the brine, then sprinkle a little extra brine-wet salt from the bowl between the thick white ribs. Set cut side up in a large basin and turn every 45 minutes for 3 to 4 hours, until the thick rib bends without snapping. Do not salt by the clock alone. Cabbage has seasons, and winter cabbage takes its time.

   If the leaves wilt but the white ribs still crack, wait. Jeotgukji needs the rib seasoned through, because the filling is gentle and will not correct bad salting later.
3. 3

   Rinse and drain

   Rinse the salted cabbage under cool running water 2 or 3 times, opening the leaves gently to remove surface salt. Taste a piece of the thick rib. It should be seasoned like a good pickle, not painfully salty. Drain cut side down for 45 minutes. If water sits in the leaves, it thins the jeotguk and weakens the fermentation.

4. 4

   Make the jeotguk

   Put the chopped saeu-jeot, chopped croaker jeot, and 1 cup water in a small bowl. Stir hard, then let it stand 10 minutes so the salt and savor loosen into the water. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing with a spoon. Keep the liquid and discard only tough bones or gritty bits. This clear liquid is the spine of the kimchi.

5. 5

   Season the filling

   In a large bowl, combine the radish, pear, scallions, minari, chestnuts, jujubes, and pine nuts. Add the strained jeotguk, gochugaru, garlic, ginger, maesil-cheong, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Toss by hand until the radish softens slightly and the liquid turns pale red. Taste the liquid. It should be briny and rounded, a little saltier than soup, because the cabbage will drink it. Add salt only 1/4 teaspoon at a time if it tastes flat.

6. 6

   Fill the cabbage

   Lay one cabbage quarter in the bowl. Tuck a small handful of filling between every two or three leaves, using more near the thick ribs and less near the tender tips. Do not pack it like baechu-kimchi with a heavy paste. This is a brined kimchi, and the liquid has to move through the leaves.

7. 7

   Pack the jar

   Fold the outer leaf around each filled quarter and place it firmly into a clean 2-liter glass jar or small onggi. Pour in all remaining jeotguk and vegetable liquid. Press down until the cabbage is submerged as much as possible, leaving at least 3cm headspace. Air pockets make harsh flavors, so press with your knuckles or a clean weight until the liquid rises.

8. 8

   Start fermentation

   Cover loosely or use a fermentation lid. Leave at cool room temperature, 18 to 20 C, for 24 hours. Open once to press the cabbage back under the liquid. You should see small bubbles at the edge and smell clean brine, seafood, garlic, and cabbage. If your room is warm, shorten this to 12 hours.

9. 9

   Chill and mature

   Seal the jar and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before eating. Jeotgukji is better after 3 to 5 days, when the salted seafood has settled into the cabbage and the pear has given up its sweetness. Serve cold, cut into short pieces, with a spoonful of its own brine over the top.

Chef Tips

• •Buy jeotgal from a market that turns it over quickly. Saeu-jeot should smell clean and ocean-salty, not stale. Croaker jeot is stronger, so use the measured 2 tablespoons first. More is not more refined.
• •No croaker jeot? Use 1 extra tablespoon saeu-jeot and 1 tablespoon good Korean fish sauce. It will not have the same court-style depth, but it is an honest home adaptation. Do not replace all the jeotgal with soy sauce; then you have made another kimchi.
• •Keep the gochugaru restrained. Two tablespoons gives warmth and a pale red tint. A heavy red paste hides the pear, chestnut, and seafood brine, and this dish did not ask to become ordinary baechu-kimchi.
• •For food safety, keep everything clean, use non-iodized salt, leave headspace in the jar, and refrigerate once the first day of fermentation has started. If you see fuzzy mold, discard the batch. Sour smell is fermentation; fuzzy growth is not.
• •Serve it beside rice, grilled fish, suyuk (boiled pork), or a clear beef soup. Jeotgukji has enough briny strength to wake a quiet meal, but it should not fight a heavily seasoned stew.

Advance Preparation

• •Jeotgukji must be made at least 2 days before serving. One day starts fermentation, and one day in the refrigerator lets the seafood brine settle into the cabbage.
• •For the best flavor, make it 3 to 5 days ahead and keep it refrigerated. It remains good for about 3 weeks, growing sharper each week.
• •You can salt, rinse, and drain the cabbage in the morning, then fill and pack the kimchi in the evening. That is a safe corner to cut in the schedule. Do not shorten the salting or draining.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 220g)