Pollock (Myeongtae, Hwangtae & Bugeo)
๋ช ํ ยท ํฉํ ยท ๋ถ์ดmyeong-tae ยท hwang-tae ยท bu-geo
The fish with a dozen names
Alaska pollock (myeongtae) matters so much in Korea that it has more than a dozen names depending on how it is processed: saengtae (fresh), dongtae (frozen), bugeo (dried), hwangtae (dried slowly through winter freezing and thawing), kodari (half-dried) and nogari (small, dried young pollock).
- Korean name
- ๋ช ํ ยท ํฉํ ยท ๋ถ์ด (myeong-tae ยท hwang-tae ยท bu-geo)
- What it is
- The fish with a dozen names
- Storage
- Keep dried pollock airtight in a cool place or the freezer.
- Substitute
- Dried cod for dried pollock; fresh cod or haddock for fresh pollock.
- Recipes
- Used in 21 recipes on coo K food
Hwangtae and bugeo
Hwangtae is made in the mountains of Gangwon Province, where months of freezing nights and sunny days turn the flesh yellow, fluffy and mild. Shredded hwangtae or bugeo is sautรฉed in sesame oil and simmered with radish and egg into bugeo-guk, a famous hangover soup, or soaked, glazed and grilled as hwangtae-gui. Pollock heads make a deep, savory broth.
Fresh and frozen pollock
Frozen pollock fillets become dongtae-jeon, the egg-battered fish pancakes of holiday tables, as well as spicy stews (dongtae-jjigae), fish cutlets and sweet and sour fish.
Preparing dried pollock
Rinse shredded dried pollock briefly, soak it for a few minutes until pliable and squeeze it out. Whole dried fish need a longer soak and the bones removed.
๐ง How to store it
Keep dried pollock airtight in a cool place or the freezer.
๐ Substitutes
Dried cod for dried pollock; fresh cod or haddock for fresh pollock.
๐ Where to buy
This is a fresh ingredient, so it is best bought in person at a Korean or pan-Asian grocery store such as H Mart, or through an online Asian grocer that delivers fresh produce in your area. Look for it under its Korean name, ๋ช ํ ยท ํฉํ ยท ๋ถ์ด (myeongtae ยท hwangtae ยท bugeo).
