International dishesGrilled DishesKorea10 minutes preparation, 20 minutes cooking
Korean style grilled eel comes off the fire glossy and golden, mildly hot and rich with sesame oil. The eel itself is the hard part, slippery and full of fine bones, and any shortcut in the cleaning leaves a muddy smell behind.
Salt rubbed over the whole body and a rinse with lime juice is the quickest way to clean it, and a covered pot of warm water for 10 minutes does the same job. The marinade is mixed first, then pushed into the diagonal scores so it reaches the flesh.
This batch weighs about 730g, at roughly 193 calories per 100g.
Method
Rub 1 tablespoon salt over the whole eel to strip the slime, rinse it with the juice of half a lime, then wash it again in clean water. A covered pot of warm water for about 10 minutes loosens the slime just as well.
Score the body lightly with a knife and lift out the bones so the pieces are easy to eat.
Mix 15ml sesame oil, 10g chili powder, 15ml soy sauce, 5g garlic powder, 5g ground ginger, 5g turmeric powder, 5g black pepper, 10g honey and 1 tablespoon gochujang into a marinade.
Cut diagonal scores across the surface, brush the marinade over both sides and leave the eel for 10 to 15 minutes.
Heat the grill and cook the eel on both sides until the flesh is golden and done, brushing on more marinade as it goes.
Tips
Wild eel with a yellow belly and a dark back has firmer flesh than farmed eel.
Garlic powder and ground ginger can be swapped for the same weight of minced garlic and ginger.
Gochujang (fermented Korean chili paste) is sold in supermarkets, and plain chili sauce with extra chili powder stands in for it.
Honey still counts as sugar, so the 10g is measured out and nothing extra goes on during grilling.
Medium heat and regular turning keep the skin from burning before the flesh is cooked through.
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