Flavor Boulevard

We Asians like to talk food.
Subscribe

Eating in Jeju: 4 Course 갈치 (Kalchi) Meal

June 21, 2015 By: Kristen Category: Flavor Abroad: Boulevard-ing in Seoul, Korean, Travel

Two months ago, I went to Jeju Island for the annual Fulbright conference to present my research. I stayed a few extra days after the conference to explore the island. Which, of course, means trying different foods as well!

For our first meal after the conference, we decided to stop at a restaurant that specializes in the fish known as 갈치 (kalchi) in Korean, which literally translates to sword fish, but is not the same type of sword fish with the long nose that is more common in restaurant menus in the US. The official name of this fish is the largehead hairtail, and it is a small and long fish shaped like a sword, hence the name in Korean. This fish is a speciality of Jeju Island and this restaurant (which I unfortunately forgot the name of and I didn’t take photographs either of the name of the restaurant!!!) is located in Seogwipo, which is where we stayed.

We had just walked an incredibly long distance, following one of the beautiful Blue Pony trails (officially they are the Jeju Olle trails, but the mascot is a blue pony), which is also the same name of our fabulous AirBnB! The owners, a lovely couple, had walked every single trail, which traverses the entire island and its coasts and their love of walking gave birth to the idea of opening a guesthouse named after what brought them to Jeju Island in the first place. We actually walked from the Blue Pony Guesthouse to the KAL Seogwipo Hotel and were pretty much starving by the time we were ready to eat dinner.

We figured since we had essentially been receiving free food from the conference and since we were so hungry, we decided to splurge on the four-course kalchi meal, which came with kalchi prepared 4 different ways: raw, in soup, stewed, and grilled. This seems like a lot of food to commit too in case we didn’t like the fish, but it turned out to be a really great meal!

11141420_10153118549145733_1037411897_o

First up was raw kalchi (갈치회). I normally don’t like Korean-style sashimi because usually the fish tastes too frozen (as if it was just taken out of the freezer) or the flesh is too firm and chewy. (I generally prefer raw fish that tastes as if it almost melts in my mouth like butter…) While the kalchi was still chewier than I would prefer, the fish definitely tasted extremely fresh and dipping it into the vinegared gochujang (초고추장) made for a perfectly suitable bite.

11067523_10153118592485733_1602306661_o

Shortly after the sashimi arrived, we received the second course: stewed kalchi (갈치조림). The spicy sauce was perfect and the fish was so delicate. Despite thinking that the small long fish would be oily like mackerel, the flesh is more similar to a white fish – meaty and surprisingly substantial. And it also tastes just as good cooked as it does raw!

11137503_10153118589220733_1226956260_o

Third course was kalchi soup (갈치국). This is a traditional Jeju dish and the fish is boiled with some green vegetables and pumpkin (단호박). Compared to the 조림 (stewed dish), it was very bland, so we ended up not appreciating it as much. I would have preferred to have this dish come out second because then we would have eaten a lot more of it. The stewed kalchi and then the next course ended up completing stealing the soup’s thunder sadly…

11066680_10153118589070733_1691558874_o

This is the grilled kalchi (갈치구이). This was everything I could have ever wanted in a fish dish – salty (the kind of salty that is addictive so you go back for bite after bite), crispy (just look at that skin!), and meaty (the white flesh of the fish was just so good). Each bite was perfect and we unanimously agreed that this was the best of the four courses. Simple and delicious, this is fish and kalchi at its best.

I would definitely recommend giving kalchi a try; my partner’s mom in Seoul cooks the fish quite regularly as well! This fish tastes good in so many different preparations as well – raw, stewed, boiled, and grilled – so there is something for everyone! Hopefully I’ll be able to find this restaurant again!

0 Comments to “Eating in Jeju: 4 Course 갈치 (Kalchi) Meal”


  1. Thank you for any other fantastic post. The place else may just anybody get that kind of information in such a perfect method of writing? I’ve a presentation subsequent week, and I’m at the look for such info.

    1
  2. Heya are using WordPress for your site platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and create my own. Do you require any html coding knowledge to make your own blog? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

    2
  3. You can definitely see your skills in the work you write. The world hopes for more passionate writers like you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe. Always follow your heart.

    3
  4. You made some respectable factors there. I seemed on the web for the difficulty and found most individuals will go together with with your website.

    4
  5. There are some interesting deadlines in this article but I don’t know if I see all of them center to heart. There may be some validity however I will take maintain opinion until I look into it further. Good article , thanks and we would like extra! Added to FeedBurner as effectively

    5
  6. It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d definitely donate to this brilliant blog! I guess for now i’ll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to brand new updates and will share this blog with my Facebook group. Chat soon!

    6
  7. Hello! I’ve been reading your site for some time now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from New Caney Texas! Just wanted to say keep up the great work!

    7
  8. Some genuinely choice blog posts on this site, saved to fav.

    8
  9. I have read some good stuff here. Definitely worth bookmarking for revisiting. I surprise how much effort you put to create such a excellent informative website.

    9
  10. I got what you intend, thanks for posting.Woh I am glad to find this website through google. “Being intelligent is not a felony, but most societies evaluate it as at least a misdemeanor.” by Lazarus Long.

    10
  11. I like this blog so much, saved to favorites. “Respect for the fragility and importance of an individual life is still the mark of an educated man.” by Norman Cousins.

    11
  12. My programmer is trying to convince me to move to .net from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the expenses. But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using WordPress on a number of websites for about a year and am anxious about switching to another platform. I have heard very good things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can transfer all my wordpress posts into it? Any kind of help would be greatly appreciated!

    12
  13. 익숙한 일상에 새로운 취향을 더하는 여기여. 감각적인 공간과 다채로운 이야기, 오래 기억할 발견을 만나보세요. 나만의 속도로 머물며 당신에게 어울리는 특별한 순간을 찾아갑니다.

    13
  14. Hi , I do believe this is an excellent blog. I stumbled upon it on Yahoo , i will come back once again. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and help other people.

    14
  15. 익숙한 일상에 새로운 취향을 더하는 여기여. 감각적인 공간과 다채로운 이야기, 오래 기억할 발견을 만나보세요. 나만의 속도로 머물며 당신에게 어울리는 특별한 순간을 찾아갑니다.

    15
  16. Thank you, I’ve recently been searching for information approximately this subject for a while and yours is the best I have found out so far. However, what in regards to the conclusion? Are you certain about the source?

    16
  17. Hello there! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a collection of volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same niche. Your blog provided us useful information to work on. You have done a outstanding job!

    17
  18. 익숙한 일상에 새로운 취향을 더하는 여기여. 감각적인 공간과 다채로운 이야기, 오래 기억할 발견을 만나보세요. 나만의 속도로 머물며 당신에게 어울리는 특별한 순간을 찾아갑니다.

    18
  19. Thank you for the sensible critique. Me and my neighbor were just preparing to do some research about this. We got a grab a book from our area library but I think I learned more from this post. I am very glad to see such fantastic info being shared freely out there.

    19
  20. Hi there, just became aware of your blog through Google, and found that it’s really informative. I am going to watch out for brussels. I’ll appreciate if you continue this in future. Many people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!

    20
  21. 주소콘에서 필요한 사이트를 분야별로 살펴보세요. 뉴스, 커뮤니티, 영상, 웹툰, 쇼핑, 생활 정보와 온라인 도구를 찾는 방법부터 주소 확인, 즐겨찾기 관리, 접속 오류 해결까지 안내합니다. 목적에 맞는 링크를 고르고 더 편리하게 이용하세요.

    21
  22. I am forever thought about this, thanks for posting.

    22
  23. 주소콘에서 필요한 사이트를 분야별로 살펴보세요. 뉴스, 커뮤니티, 영상, 웹툰, 쇼핑, 생활 정보와 온라인 도구를 찾는 방법부터 주소 확인, 즐겨찾기 관리, 접속 오류 해결까지 안내합니다. 목적에 맞는 링크를 고르고 더 편리하게 이용하세요.

    23
  24. 주소콘에서 필요한 사이트를 분야별로 살펴보세요. 뉴스, 커뮤니티, 영상, 웹툰, 쇼핑, 생활 정보와 온라인 도구를 찾는 방법부터 주소 확인, 즐겨찾기 관리, 접속 오류 해결까지 안내합니다. 목적에 맞는 링크를 고르고 더 편리하게 이용하세요.

    24
  25. Utterly composed content, regards for selective information.

    25
  26. I am forever thought about this, appreciate it for posting.

    26
  27. 주소콘에서 필요한 웹사이트 주소를 쉽고 빠르게 찾아보세요. 분야별 주소모음과 링크모음, 주소찾기 방법부터 변경된 주소 확인, 안전한 링크 확인 방법까지 한눈에 살펴볼 수 있습니다.

    27
  28. Lovely just what I was looking for.Thanks to the author for taking his time on this one.

    28
  29. 주소콘에서 필요한 웹사이트 주소를 쉽고 빠르게 찾아보세요. 분야별 주소모음과 링크모음, 주소찾기 방법부터 변경된 주소 확인, 안전한 링크 확인 방법까지 한눈에 살펴볼 수 있습니다.

    29
  30. I gotta favorite this website it seems very beneficial handy

    30
  31. I got what you intend,bookmarked, very decent site.

    31
  32. I really appreciate you for providing such great article. I love your site. Many thanks for providing a space for me to comment on your website. I look forward to more useful content from you soon.

    32
  33. We are a group of volunteers and opening a new scheme in our community. Your web site provided us with valuable info to work on. You’ve done a formidable job and our entire community will be grateful to you.

    33
  34. I really appreciate you for publishing such interesting content. I love your web page. Many thanks for giving me the opportunity to comment on your article. I look forward to more interesting posts from you in the coming days.

    34
  35. My brother recommended I would possibly like this website. He used to be totally right. This put up truly made my day. You cann’t consider just how much time I had spent for this information! Thank you!

    35
  36. We are a group of volunteers and opening a new scheme in our community. Your site offered us with helpful info to paintings on. You’ve performed an impressive job and our whole community will probably be thankful to you.

    36
  37. Hi there! Someone in my Myspace group shared this website with us so I came to take a look. I’m definitely loving the information. I’m bookmarking and will be tweeting this to my followers! Fantastic blog and terrific design.

    37
  38. This web site is really a walk-through for all of the info you wanted about this and didn’t know who to ask. Glimpse here, and you’ll definitely discover it.

    38
  39. 주소콘은 자주 찾는 사이트의 최신주소와 변경된 주소를 카테고리별로 정리한 주소모음·링크모음 플랫폼입니다. 실시간으로 업데이트되는 바로가기 링크로 원하는 사이트에 빠르게 접속하세요.

    39
  40. 주소콘은 자주 찾는 사이트의 최신주소와 변경된 주소를 카테고리별로 정리한 주소모음·링크모음 플랫폼입니다. 실시간으로 업데이트되는 바로가기 링크로 원하는 사이트에 빠르게 접속하세요.

    40
  41. he blog was how do i say it… relevant, finally something that helped me. Thanks

    41
  42. 주소콘은 자주 찾는 사이트의 최신주소와 변경된 주소를 카테고리별로 정리한 주소모음·링크모음 플랫폼입니다. 실시간으로 업데이트되는 바로가기 링크로 원하는 사이트에 빠르게 접속하세요.

    42
  43. I like what you guys are up also. Such intelligent work and reporting! Carry on the excellent works guys I have incorporated you guys to my blogroll. I think it’ll improve the value of my website :).

    43
  44. I really appreciate this post. I’ve been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You’ve made my day! Thank you again

    44
  45. Thank you for sharing excellent informations. Your site is so cool. I am impressed by the details that you’ve on this blog. It reveals how nicely you perceive this subject. Bookmarked this website page, will come back for more articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found just the information I already searched everywhere and just could not come across. What an ideal website.

    45
  46. Heya i’m for the first time here. I came across this board and I find It really useful & it helped me out much. I hope to give something back and aid others like you aided me.

    46
  47. I and my pals ended up analyzing the best recommendations located on your web blog and then immediately got a terrible suspicion I had not thanked the web site owner for them. All the guys had been as a result excited to see all of them and have now in reality been taking pleasure in them. Appreciate your simply being well accommodating as well as for figuring out such excellent ideas most people are really eager to know about. Our own honest regret for not expressing appreciation to sooner.

    47
  48. Excellent beat ! I would like to apprentice while you amend your website, how can i subscribe for a blog web site? The account aided me a acceptable deal. I had been tiny bit acquainted of this your broadcast offered bright clear concept

    48
  49. Glad to be one of the visitors on this awe inspiring web site : D.

    49
  50. I always was concerned in this topic and still am, appreciate it for putting up.

    50


Leave a Reply