Maeuntang

A fiery, bold fish stew made with whatever fresh or mixed fish is available, loaded with radish and a gochugaru-charged broth.

Maeuntang — literally 'spicy hot soup' — is the most democratic of Korea's fish stews: any fish can go in, and the best versions are made with whatever the morning catch delivered. The soup is built from a base of dried anchovy stock seasoned aggressively with gochugaru and gochujang, into which go thick slices of radish, spring onion, zucchini, and the fish itself, usually a whole fish or large bone-in pieces that contribute additional flavour as they cook. The resulting broth has a slightly cloudy, deep red colour and a spice level that produces a slow, building heat rather than an immediate jab. At coastal restaurants in Busan, Incheon, and Tongyeong, maeuntang is often made tableside from the trim and frames of fish already ordered for sashimi, making it a natural second course in a seafood meal — nothing wasted, maximum flavour. The fish bones simmered in the broth release a gelatin that thickens the soup very slightly, and the soft radish, which takes the longest to cook, becomes sweet and yielding. Eating maeuntang involves the pleasurable and mildly challenging task of navigating bones — a skill Korean diners develop from childhood.