Galchi jorim is one of my favorite Korean dishes. It’s a spicy, sweet, and savory braised fish with a subtle ocean note. The fish simmers in a deeply flavored sauce until the Korean radish becomes tender and steals the show.
I grew up eating this often—it’s a comfort food in my family and one of my mother’s favorites. I don’t make it as frequently now because my husband avoids fish with lots of bones, but when I do, it always hits the spot.
You can use any white fish for galchi jorim, though belt fish (galchi) is traditional. I sometimes use mackerel because it’s easier to handle, but it has a stronger “fishy” flavor. If you enjoy mackerel, try that first for a simpler prep. If you prefer a milder, briny flavor and delicate white flesh, go for belt fish—just be ready to deal with more small bones.
Ingredients
- Anchovy stock – optional but recommended for depth. Water works if you don’t have stock.
- Vegetables – Korean radish (must-have), a large green onion (daepa), sliced onion, and red and green peppers. I used spicy Korean cheongyang peppers, but serrano works too. The braised radish (무조림) is essential—it’s my favorite part.
- Belt fish – galchi has delicate white flesh with a mild briny note and many thin bones. It’s usually sold cleaned and cut at Korean markets. If you can’t find it, mackerel is a good substitute.
- Seasoning sauce – this sauce defines the dish: sweet, spicy, and savory with a hint of the sea. I use a mix of coarse and fine gochugaru to get both color and retained heat. Ginger & plum cooking wine (맛술) helps remove fishiness and rounds out flavor; use mirin if unavailable.
- Rice water – save the water used to rinse rice and soak the cleaned fish for 30 minutes in the fridge to reduce the fishy odor.
Prepping the belt fish
Belt fish is often available already cut at Korean markets. If not, ask the fishmonger to clean and cut it for you.
Belt fish can carry a pronounced fishy smell (비린내) concentrated in the silvery skin. Gently scrape off the skin with a knife to reduce that aroma. You don’t need to remove every bit—just remove enough to help control the smell without overworking the fish.
If you’re less sensitive to fishiness, restaurants frequently leave the skin on for a better presentation and instead soak the fish in rice wine or a water-vinegar mixture overnight to neutralize odors. For home cooking, I usually leave the skin on, but for this recipe I removed it since many cooks prefer it gone. Always soak the fish in rice water for 30 minutes to further reduce any strong smell.
How to enjoy galchi jorim
Belt fish is slightly sweet and delicate, and it pairs perfectly with steamed rice and the braising sauce. The braised Korean radish absorbs the sauce and becomes irresistibly sweet and tender—arguably the best part of the dish.
Galchi contains many thin, comb-like bones along the flesh. If you can find the backbone pieces, you can often pull them out in one clean motion. Otherwise you’ll need to eat carefully around the bones.
To enjoy galchi jorim, spoon the braising sauce over rice and assemble bites of rice, fish, and radish. The radish alone is so good you’ll often reach for it by itself.
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Galchi Jorim (Spicy Braised Beltfish)
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Ingredients
- 1 lb beltfish, or mackerel
- 1/2 lb Korean radish
- 1/2 onion
- 1 large green onion (daepa)
- 2 serrano peppers sliced, or spicy Korean pepper
- 1 red pepper sliced
- 1/4 cup anchovy & kelp stock, or water
- 2 cups rice water, for soaking fish
- 1 tsp chili oil
Seasoning Sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp coarse gochugaru, (Korean red pepper flakes)
- 1 tbsp fine gochugaru, (Korean red pepper flakes)
- 2 tbsp ginger & plum cooking wine (맛술), or mirin
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp plum syrup
- 1/2 tsp dwenjang, (fermented soybean paste)
- 5 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, crushed
- pinch of black pepper
Instructions
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If making anchovy and kelp stock (recommended), simmer 1/2 cup water with about 1 oz kelp and 3–4 medium dried anchovies for 20 minutes. Or use water if you prefer.
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Remove the silver skin by carefully scraping it off with a knife to reduce fishiness. You don’t need to remove it all—just enough to make the aroma milder.
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Soak the fish in rice water for 30 minutes in the fridge. Rice water helps neutralize strong odors. (If using mackerel, you can skip the scraping and soaking; clean, remove the head, and cut into 2-inch steaks.)
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Peel and slice the Korean radish into half-moons about 1 cm thick.
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Mix the seasoning sauce ingredients together. If you don’t have ginger & plum cooking wine, use mirin or a mix of water and soju.
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Use a shallow, heavy-bottomed pot and arrange the radish on the bottom in a tight pattern so it fits snugly.
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Pour about one-quarter of the sauce over the radish and add the anchovy stock so the radish won’t burn. Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
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Uncover, flip the radish slices, and arrange sliced onions on top.
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Place the belt fish on top and spread the remaining seasoning sauce over it. Rinse any leftover sauce from the mixing bowl with 2 Tbsp water and pour into the pot. Add the large green onion and peppers, then drizzle chili oil over everything. Don’t worry if the braising liquid seems small—radish releases water during cooking that enriches the sauce.
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Cover and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, occasionally spooning sauce over the fish and checking the radish so it doesn’t burn. After 20 minutes, raise heat to high for 3–4 minutes to reduce and slightly thicken the sauce.
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Serve with steamed rice. The ideal bite combines rice, a piece of fish, braised radish, and sauce.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used only as an approximation.
Additional Info
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