Dried anchovies

Myeolchi is the Japanese anchovy (Engraulis japonicus), a small, slender schooling fish with a blue-black back and silvery belly that migrates along all of Korea's coasts. It is today the most heavily caught fish in Korean coastal waters.

Written records show anchovies being landed in great quantities by the late Joseon period. Jeong Yak-jeon's 1814 fish guide Jasan eobo describes luring the light-loving fish with torches at night and scooping them up with nets, and the 19th-century scholar Yi Gyu-gyeong noted that dried anchovies had become an everyday side dish. Anchovy fishing expanded in the same era for jeotgal (salted fish) used in kimchi, and before dried anchovies became commonplace, cooks flavored doenjang soups with dried herring instead.

Most anchovies destined for the pantry are boiled soon after landing and then dried; the south coast is the main producing region, with Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province a major center. The finished fish are graded by size, from tiny whole fry to large fish several centimeters long.

In the kitchen, the larger grades are usually simmered with dashima for broth, while the smallest are pan-roasted and glazed with a sweet soy seasoning for myeolchi-bokkeum. Anchovies are also fermented into myeolchi-jeot and myeolchi-aekjeot, the fish sauce used in kimchi.

• Protein and calcium, bones and all: Because the whole fish is eaten, dried anchovies are a concentrated source of protein and calcium, and the Korean Food Composition Table also lists notable vitamin D, vitamin B12 and selenium.
• High in sodium: Boiled-and-dried anchovies are processed with salt, and the small grade lists about 2,600 mg of sodium per 100 g — more than the 2,300 mg daily limit recommended for adults. Bokkeum adds soy sauce on top, so portions are best kept small.
• Fish allergy: Fish is a major food allergen. Anchovy broth, anchovy jeotgal and fish sauce all carry the same allergen, which is easy to overlook in soups and kimchi.