Myeolchi-aekjeot (Anchovy Fish Sauce)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •3 liter glass jar or small onggi crock
• •Large stainless mixing bowl
• •Kitchen scale
• •Nonreactive pot
• •Coarse strainer
• •Clean cotton cloth, cheesecloth, or coffee filters
• •Sterilized glass bottles

Instructions

1. 1

   Choose the anchovies

   Use anchovies that smell clean and briny, not sour, bitter, or warm. They should be firm, shiny, and kept cold. If your market only has tired fish, do not make aekjeot today. Technique first, but poor fish will still become poor sauce after six months.

2. 2

   Clean only if needed

   Pick through the anchovies and remove seaweed, grit, or damaged fish. Do not wash good clean anchovies just from habit, because extra water weakens the brine. If they are sandy, rinse them quickly in cold water and drain in a colander for 30 minutes, then pat them dry with clean towels.

   Water is the enemy here. The salt ratio assumes fish, not fish plus rinse water sitting in the jar.
3. 3

   Salt by weight

   Weigh the anchovies after draining. Use coarse sea salt equal to 25 percent of that weight. For 2 kg anchovies, use 500 g salt. Mix the anchovies and salt in a large stainless bowl with gloved hands until the salt is evenly distributed. This measure matters because too little salt risks spoilage, and too much gives you a flat, harsh sauce.

4. 4

   Pack the jar

   Rinse a 3 liter glass jar or small onggi (earthenware crock) with boiling water and let it dry fully. If using soju, swirl it inside the dry jar and pour it out. Pack in the salted anchovies firmly, pressing down to remove air pockets, then scatter the remaining 2 tablespoons salt over the surface. Leave at least 5 cm headspace.

5. 5

   Ferment and watch

   Cover the jar with a clean lid that is not cranked tight, or tie on clean cloth under a loose lid. Set it in a cool shaded place, ideally 15 to 20°C, for 6 months. Once a week for the first month, press the anchovies below the brine with a clean spoon. After that, leave it alone. The liquid will darken and rise, and the solids will soften into a deep salted jeot.

6. 6

   Check before boiling

   After 6 months, open the jar and check it carefully. It should smell deeply savory, salty, and fermented, not rotten, putrid, or moldy. White salt crystals are fine. Fuzzy mold, black mold, gas pressure, or a foul smell means you discard the batch. Food is respect for life, and that includes not arguing with spoilage.

7. 7

   Boil the jeot

   Scrape the fermented anchovies and liquid into a nonreactive pot. Bring just to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice. Do not boil hard. A rough boil drives off the clean aroma and makes the sauce taste muddy.

8. 8

   Strain the first time

   Pour the hot mixture through a coarse strainer lined with clean cotton cloth or several layers of cheesecloth into a heatproof bowl. Let it drain without pressing hard. Pressing forces fine sediment and bitterness into the sauce. You are drawing off clear seasoning, not squeezing every last drop from a rag.

9. 9

   Settle and strain again

   Let the strained liquid sit undisturbed for 30 minutes so the fine sediment falls. Pour the clear upper liquid through a fresh coffee filter or very fine cloth into a clean pot, stopping before the cloudy bottom layer goes in. This second straining is why the finished aekjeot seasons kimchi cleanly instead of leaving grit in the cabbage.

10. 10

    Bottle and store

    Bring the twice-strained sauce back to a bare simmer for 2 minutes, then pour it into sterilized glass bottles while hot. Cool, cap, and refrigerate. Rest it 1 week before using if you can; the sharp edges settle. Use 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time in soup or namul, and 2 to 4 tablespoons per large batch of kimchi paste, depending on the recipe.

Chef Tips

• •The safe salt ratio is the spine of the recipe: 25 percent salt by fish weight. I have seen old kitchens use less, but I will not teach that for a home jar sitting through summer.
• •Use glass or onggi, never reactive metal, for fermentation. Stainless is fine for mixing and boiling later, but not for the months of salt and fish together.
• •Commercial myeolchi-aekjeot varies wildly in saltiness. Taste yours by stirring 1 teaspoon into 1/4 cup warm water. If it tastes rounded and savory, it belongs in kimchi. If it tastes sharp and thin, use it in smaller amounts and support it with saeujeot (salted shrimp) where the recipe allows.
• •Measure, never pour. For a 3 liter pot of mild soup, start with 1 teaspoon. For 500 g blanched greens, start with 1/2 teaspoon. Fish sauce should deepen the dish and then disappear into it.

Advance Preparation

• •The anchovies need at least 6 months to ferment at cool room temperature. Many Korean homes let the jar go 9 to 12 months for a deeper sauce, but 6 months is the earliest I would bottle it.
• •Once boiled, strained, and bottled, the sauce keeps refrigerated for 6 months or longer if handled with clean spoons and kept cold.
• •Make this in spring when fresh anchovies are abundant and clean. Cook the month you're standing in; if the fish at the market is not good, buy a reliable bottled Korean aekjeot and spend your effort on the kimchi.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 15g)