Place 200g of onion and 200g of pear in a blender and blend until smooth.
Mix the blended onion and pear with premium soy sauce, fine red chili powder, sugar, corn syrup, minced garlic, cooking wine, MSG, sesame oil, and toasted sesame seeds to make the marinade.
Apply the marinade evenly onto the flesh side of the cleaned yellow croaker and let it marinate for about 30 minutes so the flavor penetrates deeply.
Heat a pan with 4 to 5 tablespoons of vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of perilla seed oil over medium heat.
Place the marinated yellow croaker on the pan with the flesh side down and grill over medium heat until golden brown without burning.
When the fish shrinks slightly, press gently while grilling, then flip and cook the back side until golden brown. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
Serve on a hot skillet or plate, sprinkle with finely chopped green onion, drizzle generously with remaining marinade, and finish by evenly sprinkling 1 tablespoon of perilla seed oil.
Blend onion and pear, then mix with the required marinade ingredients to prepare the sauce.
Marinate the cleaned yellow croaker with the sauce for 30 minutes.
Grill the fish on both sides in a pan mixed with vegetable oil and perilla seed oil until golden brown.
Cut into serving size, garnish with green onion, marinade, and perilla seed oil to finish.
Cooking tips 💡
Do not grill immediately after marinating—let it rest for about 30 minutes so the marinade fully penetrates the fish and prevents surface-only seasoning.
Using only perilla seed oil makes it prone to burning; using only vegetable oil results in less aroma. A mix of both oils ensures a rich flavor and smooth texture.
For better flavor pairing, use plenty of finely chopped green onion instead of scallions—the stronger scent complements the grilled croaker perfectly.
Lim Sung-geun's Yellow Croaker Soup
An ultra-simple yellow croaker hangover soup that delivers a rich, creamy broth like beef bone soup, even when cooked with plain water