Godeungeo Jorim

Name: Godeungeo Jorim
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 1 whole Mackerel; 300 g Korean radish (mu); ½ medium Onion; 1 small Green chili; 2 stalks Green onion; 300 ml Water; 2½ tbsp Soy sauce; 2 tbsp Gochugaru; 1 tbsp Gochujang; 4 cloves Garlic; 1 tsp Ginger; 2 tbsp Cooking rice wine; 1 tsp Sugar

고등어조림

Romanization: godeungeo-jorim

Mackerel braised on a bed of Korean radish in a spicy soy and chili sauce — a warming, rice-friendly dish where the radish is often the best part.

Serves: 4
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 30 min

RegionAndong

Jump to recipe

Recipe

Ingredients · Serves 4

1 wholeMackerelabout 500 g, cleaned and cut into 4–5 pieces (about 360 g edible)
300 gKorean radish (mu)cut into 1.5 cm slabs
½ mediumOnionabout 100 g, thickly sliced
1 smallGreen chiliabout 15 g, sliced
2 stalksGreen onionabout 30 g, cut into 4 cm lengths
300 mlWateror anchovy-kelp stock
2½ tbspSoy sauce
2 tbspGochugaru
1 tbspGochujang
4 clovesGarlicminced
1 tspGingerminced
2 tbspCooking rice wine
1 tspSugar

Method

Technique: Jorim: Braising in Seasoned Liquid

Step 1: Rinse the mackerel pieces, scraping away the dark blood line along the backbone, and pat dry. Keep the fish cold until you cook it.
Step 2: Mix the soy sauce, gochugaru, gochujang, garlic, ginger, rice wine and sugar into a paste.
Step 3: Lay the radish in the bottom of a wide, shallow pot. Add the water and about a third of the sauce, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, until the radish begins to turn translucent.
Step 4: Arrange the mackerel on top of the radish, scatter over the onion and spoon the remaining sauce evenly over the fish.
Step 5: Simmer over medium heat for 12–15 minutes, spooning the sauce over the fish from time to time, until the fish is cooked through and the liquid has reduced by about half. Leave the lid ajar for the first few minutes so strong fish odors can escape.
Step 6: Add the chili and green onion and simmer 2 minutes more. Serve hot with rice, with radish and sauce alongside each piece.

Origin & History

Mackerel (godeungeo, the chub mackerel Scomber japonicus) is found in all of Korea's seas. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture describes schools arriving off Jeju's Seongsan coast in late winter and moving north up both the east and west coasts before turning south again in autumn. The fish appears as a local product in fifteenth-century geographies, and Jeong Yak-jeon's Jasan eobo (1814) recorded it under the name byeongmuneo with the folk name godeungeo, noting that fishermen lured it at night with lights.

Jasan eobo judged the fish good for soup or salting but not for eating raw or drying, and for most of Korean history mackerel traveled inland salted. Split, salted mackerel was sold widely in the Joseon period. Today it is eaten fresh or as salted jaban, most often grilled or braised.

The encyclopedia's entry on jorim notes that red-fleshed, strongly flavored fish such as mackerel, saury and horse mackerel are often braised with gochujang added to the soy sauce. Thick slices of radish laid under the fish soak up the sauce and the fish's richness, and chili, garlic and ginger temper its strong flavor.

Key Ingredients

Nutrition

Estimated, per serving (¼ of recipe: about 90 g fish with radish, vegetables and sauce)
Calories	~200 kcal
Protein	~20.6 g
Fat	~7.9 g
Carbohydrates	~12.9 g
Fiber	~3.1 g
Sodium	~760 mg

Notable forProtein · Vitamin D · Vitamin B12 · Omega-3 fats

Estimated by summing ingredient values and dividing by four servings, assuming all the sauce is eaten. Mackerel: USDA FDC 173672 (Pacific and jack mackerel, raw, about 360 g edible portion; roughly 8 µg vitamin D, 4 µg vitamin B12 and 1.3 g EPA+DHA per serving); Korean radish: FDC 168451; soy sauce: FDC 174277; gochugaru approximated with red pepper, FDC 170932; gochujang: Korean Food Composition Table entry 고추장, 개량; vegetables and sugar from USDA. Ginger and rice wine were left out as negligible. Leaving some sauce in the pot lowers the sodium. Actual values vary with ingredients, portion size and preparation.

Health Benefits

Mackerel is an oily fish rich in high-quality protein and the long-chain omega-3 fats EPA and DHA.
It is also one of the better food sources of vitamin D and vitamin B12, along with selenium.
The FDA and EPA place Atlantic and Pacific chub mackerel among the "Best Choices" — the lowest-mercury group — in their fish advice.
Radish, onion and chili add volume, fiber and some vitamin C for very few calories.

Considerations

Freshness and histamine: mackerel is one of the fish that can cause scombroid poisoning when it is not kept cold after catch. Bacteria convert natural histidine to histamine, which cooking does not destroy; buy from a trusted source, keep it refrigerated and avoid fish that smells off or tastes peppery.
Sodium: the sauce is assertive — roughly 750 mg per serving if all of it is eaten. Leave some sauce behind, and use less soy sauce if you start with salted mackerel.
Bones: mackerel has a central backbone and fine pin bones; check pieces carefully, especially when serving children.
Allergens: contains fish, soy and wheat (in soy sauce and most gochujang).
King mackerel is different: king mackerel is on the FDA/EPA list of fish to avoid for high mercury; Korean godeungeo is the much smaller chub mackerel.

Informational, not medical advice. Talk to a qualified professional about your own health and diet.

Regional Variations

With radish or aged kimchi: radish is the classic base; another popular version braises mackerel on well-fermented napa cabbage kimchi (mugeunji).
Soy or spicy: some cooks braise it in soy sauce alone, while most add gochugaru or gochujang for color and heat.
Andong salted mackerel: inland Andong is known for ganggodeungeo, mackerel gutted and heavily salted so it could survive the journey from the coast. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture lists its traditional preparations as grilling, steaming and a simmered dish with radish.

Pairings

Sources

Last updated October 13, 2026