Choi Kang-rok's Braised Fish in Soy Sauce (Nitsuke)

Name: Choi Kang-rok's Braised Fish in Soy Sauce (Nitsuke)
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 1 whole fish; 1 burdock root; 720ml water; 360ml sake; 180ml mirin; 140ml soy sauce; 60g sugar

A Japanese-style braised fish in soy sauce, cooked quickly over high heat from start to finish to preserve a tender texture and enhanced with the deep aroma of burdock root.

Recommended for

Those who want to enjoy an authentic, tender, and moist Japanese-style braised fish at home.
Those who want to learn Chef Choi Kang-rok's precise cooking tips and golden sauce ratio.
Those who desire a sophisticated dish that harmonizes the subtle aroma of burdock root with a sweet and savory sauce.

20 min Difficulty Normal Meat & mains

Main ingredients

FishBurdock rootSakeMirinSoy sauce

Ingredients needed 2 servings

1 whole fish
1 burdock root
720ml water
360ml sake
180ml mirin
140ml soy sauce

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Fish Burdock root Sake Mirin Soy sauce

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Recipe

Remove the guts from the fish, scrape off the scales cleanly, and then blanch briefly in hot water to remove impurities.
Wash the burdock root thoroughly, but avoid peeling too much to preserve its unique aroma. Slice it thinly.
Generously spread the thinly sliced burdock root on the bottom of the braising pot to create a cushion, preventing the fish from directly touching and sticking to the bottom.
Place the prepared fish on top of the burdock cushion. The standard practice is to position the fish's head facing left.
Pour the nitsuke sauce, a mixture of the specified amounts of water, sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar, into the pot, ensuring the fish is more than half submerged.
Turn on the heat and maintain high heat from start to finish without reducing the heat, braising quickly.
During the braising process, gently tilt the pot in all directions to ensure the bubbling sauce evenly coats the entire fish.
When the fish's eyes lose their transparency and turn white, it's a sign that it is perfectly cooked through.
Turn off the heat while leaving a little bit of the sauce remaining, like a glaze, rather than completely drying it out.
Carefully transfer the cooked fish and burdock root to a plate, then drizzle the rich soy sauce remaining in the pot over the top to finish.

Scale and prepare the fish, and thinly slice the burdock root with the peel on.
Line the pot with burdock root, place the fish on top, pour in the soy sauce mixture, and braise quickly over high heat from start to finish.
Once the fish eyes turn white, plate with the remaining sauce and serve.

Cooking tips

The unique aroma of burdock root is most concentrated near the peel, so handle it lightly with a scrubber to just remove dirt, preserving the fragrance.
The step of spreading burdock root widely like a cushion is essential to prevent the fish flesh from breaking or sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Unlike typical braising, cooking quickly over high heat instead of low heat for a long time keeps the fish flesh moist and prevents it from becoming dry and crumbly.
It's most delicious when you flake off the flesh, dip it lightly into the sweet and savory sauce pooled in a bowl, and eat it with the burdock root.

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Choi Kang-rok's Braised Fish in Soy Sauce (Nitsuke)

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Ingredients needed 🛒2 servings