Myeongtae-sikhae (Fermented Pollack with Grain)

This dish lives or dies before the seasoning touches it. Dry the pollack firm first. If the flesh goes into the jar wet and soft, it won't become sikhae (fermented fish with grain). It will collapse into paste, and no amount of garlic can rescue it.

Myeongtae-sikhae belongs to the cold eastern coast table, where pollack was not just one fish but a winter pantry. Fresh, frozen, half-dried, fully dried, beaten, shredded, simmered, fermented: each state had a name and a use. This one asks you to respect water. Salt pulls it out, air firms it, and the grain gives the fermentation something steady to work on.

My teacher would tap each piece with her chopstick before mixing. Too soft, she pushed it aside. I have written the measure here because "salty enough" is not a recipe. 손맛 is real. I still measure it, so it can be handed on.

Tonight you will salt, dry, cook the grain, cool it completely, and pack the jar. Then the work leaves your hands. Give it a short cool start, then let the refrigerator finish it slowly. Eat a little at a time with rice, as banchan, or tucked beside a bowl of hot soup.