20 Minutes Korean Sweet and Spicy Fish Recipe
📺 Watch How to Make This Korean Sweet and Spicy Fish
- 4 dorade grise fillets, skin and bones removed (Optional: Kombu-jime (昆布締め) – wrap fillets in kombu and refrigerate overnight)
- All-purpose flour, for light dusting
- 3–4 tbsp cooking oil (I used peanut oil)
- 1 pear (about 170 g), peeled and cored (I used a Conférence pear, but Bosc or Korean pear also works)
- 1 small onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 g ginger (about the same amount as the garlic)
- 5 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp gochugaru
- 1/2 tbsp mirin
- 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
- A pinch of black pepper
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- Prepare the fish. Lightly dust the dorade grise fillets with flour, shaking off any excess.
- Pan-sear. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cooking oil and swirl to coat the pan. Place the fillets in the pan and cook until golden brown and deeply crispy, about 8–10 minutes total.
- Finish. Transfer the fish to a serving plate. Spoon a generous amount of the sweet & spicy sauce over the top. If desired, lightly torch the sauce for extra smoky depth—optional, but not necessary. Enjoy!
Watch How to Make This Korean Sweet and Spicy Fish
Korean Sweet & Spicy Fish is one of those dishes that delivers bold flavor with surprisingly simple technique. From the very first bite, this recipe balances crisp texture, deep umami, and a sauce that clings just enough without softening the fish. While the flavor profile is inspired by dishes like kodari gui and hwangtae gui, this version is adapted for what I can easily find in France.
Instead of dried pollock, I use dorade grise, a French sea bream with firm flesh that crisps beautifully in a pan. Most importantly, the sauce is added after cooking, not during. As a result, the fish stays crunchy while the sweet and spicy sauce delivers contrast. Because of that balance, this Korean Sweet & Spicy Fish works equally well as a weeknight meal or a casual dinner party dish.
What’s Korean Sweet & Spicy Fish?
Korean Sweet & Spicy Fish refers to a style of cooking where the fish is cooked until crisp first, and then finished with a bold sauce afterward. Unlike braised fish, the sauce is not meant to soak the flesh. Instead, it sits on top, creating contrast. Therefore, texture plays just as important a role as flavor.
For the Fish
