Jogi-jeot


Jogi-jeot or salted yellow croaker is a variety of jeotgal, made with yellow croakers. In Korean cuisine, jogi-jeot is widely used as banchan, as a condiment, or as an ingredient for kimchi.

History

Korean people have eaten yellow croakers for a very long time, as Shuowen Jiezi, an early 2nd-century Chinese dictionary, reports that yellow croakers were caught in Lelang, and that a Han commandery existed within the Korean peninsula.

Preparation

Fresh yellow croakers, with lustrous scales and a chubby belly, caught in May to June. are preferred. Croakers are washed and drained on sokuri, then stuffed with coarse salt, and laid on a salt-lined onggi. One layer of fish is followed by one layer of salt, and so on. When the jar is around 70% filled, split and sterilized bamboo stalks are laid over the croakers, followed by boiled and cooled brine. In total, the salt used should weigh around 15‒20% of the fish. The jeotgal is left to ferment at for two to three months and up to a year.