During my recent trip to Mexico, I filmed two recipe videos. One was for the pan-fried Spanish mackerel, which I shared before. The other was for this recipe here, a spicy raw fish dish called hoe-muchim, made with freshly caught red snapper. When you mix raw fish and vegetables with a sweet and sour and spicy sauce, the flavor is delicious. The vegetables are crunchy and the raw fish is soft but chewy, which gives it a nice texture!
This dish is something I enjoy when I visit Yeosu, the port city where I grew up in Korea. There is a restaurant there that specializes in preparing a flat fish called tongue fish. Every time I go to Yeosu, that restaurant is first on my itinerary! And whenever I get my hands on fresh sushi-quality fish, I love making hoe-muchim the same way they do.
Since it’s hard to find fresh-caught tonguefish in New York, I usually use fluke or red snapper instead. If you happen to find some freshly caught fish or sashimi at the local fish market, try making hoe-muchim with it.
You might think the sauce is similar to my golbaengi muchim (spicy whelks with noodles) recipe. It’s actually the same sauce! And hoe-muchim is usually prepared with perilla leaves as one of the mixed vegetables, it enhances the flavor even more. I couldn’t find perilla leaves at the grocery store in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, but if you can get some, be sure to add them. When I cook while traveling, I always have to improvise with local ingredients and whatever utensils I have on hand (in this video I use a large pot instead of a bowl lol). Just like you, right? But as long as the final dish is delicious it doesn’t matter. Simply have fun cooking, sharing and eating delicious food and you will always be fine!
ingredients
Serves 2 to 3
For the seasoning sauce:
For the vegetables:
- 4-5 large lettuce leaves, washed and chopped
- 1 cup seedless cucumber, cut into matchsticks
- ⅓ cup carrot, cut into matchsticks
- ¼ cup onion, sliced
- 1 small Serrano pepper, chopped
Directions
- Cut the fish fillets into pieces about 3 inches long and ⅓ inch thick. Place them in ice water and add vinegar. Allow the fish to sit in the water for 10 minutes to firm up slightly.
- In a bowl combine all the ingredients for the seasoning sauce. Mix well.
- Place all the vegetables in a large bowl. Remove the fish from the water and squeeze it gently to remove excess moisture. Add the fish to the bowl with the vegetables.
- Pour the prepared seasoning sauce over the fish and vegetables, then add the sesame oil and sesame seeds. Mix everything gently with a large spoon.
- Transfer the mixture to a serving plate or bowl.
Serve
Serve as a side dish to alcohol or as a one-bowl meal. To enjoy it as a meal, place some rice in a bowl, add a portion of hoe-muchim and mix well, similar to how you make bibimbap. goes well with doenjang-jjigae (fermented soybean paste stew).
Enjoy your delicious hoe-muchim!
