Still Delicious: Enjoying Croaker Sashimi, Even Out of Season
Even though it's past peak season, croaker (Minnow, 민어) sashimi is still something special...
The price has become more reasonable, so I decided to buy one. During the dog days of summer (Boknal, 복날), croaker prices skyrocket. Apparently, many are caught off the coast of Sinan in Jeolla Province. I received a 3kg fish via 택배 (delivery service) from the Mokpo fish market. They say it tastes best when it's 7-8kg, with July being the prime month and August/September being the least flavorful. But even in the dead of winter, it's known as a delicious fish...
Once you learn how to prepare the fish, it's not difficult to make sashimi.
Actually, some places fillet the fish or send it already sliced as sashimi, but this time I bought a whole fish. Figuring out how to slice it... it's like with winter yellowtail (방어) - after doing it a couple of times with a big fish, you can manage it at home...
A well-iced fish arrived.
The freshness is good. Actually, croaker tastes even better after a few days of aging. Live croaker is also widely available these days, but it's more expensive. This croaker, received directly from the source, is a decent size at 3kg. I wasn't expecting much, but the market price of 1kg is over ₩100,000 during peak season, but now you can buy it for around ₩10,000. The price plummets after summer. With one fish, you can enjoy sashimi, a clear soup (Jiri-tang, 지리탕), and pan-fried slices (Jeon, 전) - it's a great fish to eat in various ways. It's a fish that's impossible to get during the peak of summer, and I'm finally getting to enjoy it for the first and probably last time this year...
First, scale the fish. The preparation doesn't seem too difficult, but the sink is full! It's been a while since I scaled a fish and prepared sashimi at home. When I go sea fishing, I usually just have them fillet it for me, so this is really rare for me...
The reason for eating croaker is also for its swim bladder (burae, 부레). You absolutely have to eat the swim bladder when you eat a whole croaker. I also really like the Mokpo croaker sashimi alley. They serve a course meal like an omakase, with sashimi salad and soup. Some people even plan a trip to Mokpo just for that taste. Hong-eo (fermented skate) isn't the only famous thing there; Sinan, near Mokpo, is also a major croaker producing area. In 2025, there's a lot being caught. Even though it's past the season, croaker is still croaker...
Preparing Croaker Sashimi (Oroshi)
I didn't take any pictures of me holding the knife while slicing the sashimi. I filleted it into three pieces, skinned it, and blanched the skin briefly in hot water before eating it. I also neatly prepared the swim bladder. The head and bones are used for Jiri-tang. In the Jeolla region, croaker is often eaten during Boknal. Now it's popular in the Seoul metropolitan area too, and the price around Boknal is really high. Even though the peak season has passed and the price has gone down at places like the Noryangjin Fish Market, it's still an expensive fish in the summer...
There's a little bit of fat, but they say it tastes better after some aging. I ate half of it one day and the other half the next day, and it definitely tasted better the second day.
Nothing to Waste but the Scales
The swim bladder is delicious, and the fish itself can be eaten as sashimi or pan-fried. The pan-fried slices were especially good this time. It's great for treating guests to a nice meal. It's more plentiful than other sashimi, and this 3kg fish, which was a medium size, cost less than ₩40,000 including shipping. The freshness was great, so it was worth it. They even drained the blood well before sending it, and the innards were clean. This is the first time I've made croaker sashimi at home, and it tastes great. The bigger the fish, the better it tastes, so I want to try croaker in the winter instead of yellowtail... In September and October, autumn is the season for gizzard shad (jeon-eo, 전어) sashimi, blue crab, and whiteleg shrimp. There are fish markets and the Namdangri shrimp festival, and Seocheon also has a blue crab festival. Fishing is good too, and it's a vibrant time for fishermen with the autumn harvest of fresh shrimp and various seafoods...
Enjoying a Generous Plate
As expected, croaker is croaker. They say that July is the peak season, and the taste is at its worst after spawning. So why do people like to eat it so much during Boknal in August? If you want to eat it, June and July are the best times when the fish is fattest. After spawning season, the fish becomes thin and the flesh can be spongy. The pan-fried slices are especially good, and everyone loves croaker Jiri-tang. The Jiri-tang I had at a restaurant in Noryangjin Fish Market recently was so milky and delicious. Croaker Jiri is definitely something everyone would enjoy...
Carefully Preparing the Swim Bladder and Skin
With appetizers like these, you could easily finish several bottles of alcohol. They say the fish sashimi is delicious and each part has its own distinct flavor. It would be nice to prepare the head and eat the cheek meat or collar meat, but I just roughly prepared it and boiled it for Jiri-tang. The broth is good, and this is a health food! There's a reason why it's so popular in the summer. If you go to a famous restaurant in Mokpo, they age a large croaker well and slice it into sashimi for you. There are also famous restaurants like Deokjeok Restaurant in Incheon, which are even more expensive than in Seoul.
The belly meat is delicious. The back meat, body, and tail are a bit tough, so they're good for pan-frying. The pan-fried slices are also expensive if you order them at a restaurant. These days, the market price is cheap because there are a lot being caught. The price has become really reasonable.
Rather than red chili-pepper paste (cho-gochujang, 초고추장), seasoned soybean paste (makjang, 막장) or salt is the best accompaniment.
The fish soy sauce is good too, but today, seasoned soybean paste tasted the best. It's also good eaten with kimchi or on top of onions. There are many ways to eat it, and while the slicing process can be a bit tricky, you can just buy the fillets and slice them into sashimi, so it's not too difficult. You should definitely try it. They say it tastes subtly good even in the winter. Croaker sashimi is a popular fish dish in the summer, so much so that I wonder why the price drops so much after summer. It's so cheap now...
September and October are the time for many seasonal seafoods. Gizzard shad sashimi or grilled gizzard shad are great, and who doesn't love steamed or stewed blue crab? Whiteleg shrimp are also farmed a lot, and I don't know what the catch will be like in 2025 for wild shrimp, but there have been times when there's not much difference between farmed and wild shrimp. You can get king prawns for around ₩25,000 to ₩35,000 per kg now, and it's the season for seafood restaurants.
I'm a bit disappointed that it has less fat now that the season has passed, but the taste of croaker is still there. The swim bladder is delicious, and the savory taste and texture are unique. The taste of this sashimi is comparable to what you'd get at the Noryangjin Fish Market.
If you can slice the fish well, you can enjoy croaker sashimi cheaply at home like this. Even though the peak season has passed, it's still a great fish to enjoy.
You can't leave out croaker pan-fried slices (Jeon) when talking about croaker.
Why does it taste so much better when it's pan-fried compared to other fish? It's incomparable to things like pollock pan-fried slices. I ate croaker pan-fried slices for two days straight because of its tender, sweet, and savory taste. I ate it with soy sauce and onions, like the sauce for mung bean pancakes at Gwangjang Market. It's also good with spicy green peppers. The savory taste is excellent. Croaker pan-fried slices are good, and croaker Jiri-tang is good too. I like croaker soup more than dried pollack soup because it's filling and good for hangovers...
Overall
Croaker prices plummet as soon as the summer heat subsides. Even though the peak season has passed, croaker is still croaker, and it's good to eat anytime. The slicing process isn't too difficult, so how about buying a whole fish and throwing a party? The fish sashimi is delicious, and croaker is a great fish to enjoy in various ways, including pan-fried slices and Jiri-tang. In September and October, there are good seafoods like blue crab, gizzard shad sashimi, and shrimp, so you can visit the fish market and enjoy them. There are also various festivals and restaurants like Namdang Port, so it's a season that everyone can enjoy...
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