Korean Daegujeon Fish Fillets

In terms of fish preparation, daegujeon should be part of everyone’s repertoire! They are often misleadingly called breaded fish fillets, but rather than a variation on your average crumb-coated fish finger they are  best described as little fish-filled omelets. If you think that sounds a tad complicated, you’re wrong. These babies are pretty much foolproof and hit the spot every time. Dip them in soy sauce (or a 2:1 mixture of soy sauce and rice vinegar) and serve with rice noodles and stir-fried vegetables for a light and healthy but totally delicious dinner.

Ingredients (for 2 or 3) (adapted from Maangchi.com):

2  ASC certified tilapia fillets (or other firm white fish), about 250-270 g in total

2 eggs

1 spring onion, finely sliced

1 red chilli, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

salt

pepper

plain flour

oil

soy sauce for dipping

• If you bought frozen fish, first defrost the fillets and pat dry with some kitchen paper. Slice each fillet into about 5 smaller  pieces. Try to put your knife at a 45 degree angle to ensure that those pieces are not too thick.
• Put them in a bowl and toss with the garlic, salt and pepper.
• Add enough flour to coat all the pieces.

• Now make your egg mixture by beating two eggs with the sliced spring onion, the chopped red chilli and a pinch of salt.
• Heat a thin layer of sunflower or coconut oil in a shallow frying pan on medium heat.
• Dip each piece of fish in the egg mixture and place in the pan. Fry till nice and golden brown on both sides. The great thing is that, provided your pieces aren’t too thickly sliced, the fish inside will be perfectly cooked by the time the omelet-coating is nice and brown

• Traditionally, the daegujeon are then placed on a bed of lettuce leaves, but I like to serve this dish with stir fried rice noodles with spring onions, bean sprouts, edamame and sesame oil. Enjoy!