Korean Fried Cod
30 min
45 min
3 to 4
Fish Fry
Korean
Korean fried chicken, characterized by a double dunk in hot oil for an extra crispy exterior and a coating of sweet and spicy chili sauce, grew in popularity in NYC during the early 2000s and has since become a global taste sensation. The beauty of a double fry is that you can fry all of the cod in batches ahead of time and then quickly pop them back into the hot oil in larger batches when getting ready to serve. Here, we’ve swapped out chicken with lean white fish for a pescatarian riff on the Korean riff of the classic Southern KFC.
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons Korean pepper paste (gochujang)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 16 ounces white fish, such as cod, lingcod, or rockfish, cut into 1½-inch pieces
- ½ cup potato starch or cornstarch
- Neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed for shallow frying
- Sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds
Directions
Make the sauce
In a small saucepan over high heat, combine the honey, gochujang, soy, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and 2 tablespoons water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened and glossy, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Heat the oil
Fill a deep, medium skillet with 1½ inches of oil (no more than half full) and heat to 350°F on an instant read or deep-frying thermometer. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and top with a wire rack.
First fry
Put the potato starch into a medium bowl. Pat the fish dry, and working in batches, add the fish to the bowl, tossing to coat. Tapping off any excess, add the fish in batches to the hot oil and cook, turning once or twice, until pale golden and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the fish to the wire rack and repeat with the remaining fish, monitoring the oil temperature from time to time.
1st and 2nd fried cod, side by side
Second fry
When all of the fish has been cooked for the first time, increase the temperature to 375°F. Return the fish to the hot oil in larger batches this time and cook until golden and crispy, 2 to 4 minutes, turning once or twice. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fish to the rack and repeat with the remaining fish.
Finish and serve
Transfer the fish to a large bowl and drizzle the sauce over top. Gently toss to evenly coat the fish and transfer to a platter. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds and serve immediately.
sweet, spicy, crispy KFC
Pro tips
Beverage Suggestions
A hoppy IPA, with its characteristic bitterness and citrus notes is especially tasty here. Soju, distilled from grains — similar to vodka with about half the alcohol content — is often served with Korean fried chicken and would be equally at home with fish.
Serving Suggestions
Wrap the fried cod pieces in lettuce leaves with sliced hot chiles and raw garlic cloves for a more authentic experience.
Grace Parisi
Culinary Director Grace Parisi is a cook, writer and cookbook author. Formerly the Senior Test Kitchen Editor at Food & Wine Magazine and Executive Food Director at TimeInc Books, her work has appeared in Cooking Light, Health, O Magazine, Epicurious, Fitness, Today, Serious Eats, Martha Stewart, and many more. She’s the author of more than 6 books, among them The Portlandia Cookbook and Get Saucy, which was nominated for a James Beard award for Best Single Subject Cookbook.
