Mackerel Stew
about 2 servings

Ingredients:
2 carrots, julienned
1/2 a large onion, thinly sliced
1 – 2 jalapeños (we did 5 serranos)
1 can mackerel
2 green onions, cut about an inch long
1/2 to 1 cup of water
1 tsp garlic minced
1 tsp korean red pepper paste (and extra on the side to add later)
1 – 2 tsp soy sauce (I used 2 tsp)
1 tbsp korean red chili flakes
1 pack of enoki mushrooms
Sprinkle of black pepper
Sesame (perilla) leaves (about 6 – 10 per person depending on leaf size)
Side of brown rice

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix the garlic, chili flakes, soy sauce, chili paste, with a half of cup of water, and set aside the chili mixture.

Heat up 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large pan, give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the carrots and gently sauté. Spread carrots out along the bottom of the pan and proceed to place thinly sliced onions on top, then the jalapeños. Add in the canned mackerel (water from can and all), then pour the chili mixture over the fish, sprinkle some black pepper, and add the green onions on top. Cover with the lid and bring to a boil, then proceed to lower the heat to simmer. It only takes approximately 10 mins to cook. During the last two minutes of cooking, add the enoki mushrooms on top, spoon one of that broth on top, and put the lid back on.

Once done, taste the broth, if it’s too salty, add some more water, or if its too bland, season with the soy sauce. Canned fish is a bit higher in sodium so the extra soy sauce is probably best left out. I wanted more spice, so I sprinkled 1 extra tablespoon of Korean chili pepper flakes on top when I added the mushrooms.

To eat, get your sesame leaf (or can use steamed cabbage leaf), place a little bit brown rice on top, add on a piece of fish and some of that delicious carrots, onions, and jalapeños, add a dollop of chili paste, and devour!

Thankfully, we have a Korean market near where our church family gathers, so after Sunday we go grocery shopping with the BFF (and her husband) and we stock up on so many yummy things. The BFF’s mama is an amazing cook, and we’re blessed she taught her daughter, who teaches us. We have a lot of the staple ingredients, so we can make a variety of different dishes from them.

If you’re iffy on the whole canned fish thing, we were a little nervous ourselves, it turned out fine (for us) and not fishy at all. Mackerel is a good fish for you, but it also could be quite expensive, so it was an affordable way to eat it. The meal was easy to make, as well as being delicious and nutritious, so for sure we’d make it again and I’d recommend for you to try it! I’m sure you could even make it with just vegetables, leaving the meat out, if you want to go a vegetarian route with it. It’s the chili mixture and broth that makes this really so tasty. My girls really loved it too! I made two batches, one with loads of spice and one omitting the jalapeños and red peppers. I love that my kids are (usually) willing to try new dishes! We tell them they have to try it first before saying no.

I love Korean dishes, they are so just flavorful! I can’t wait to keep learning more about Korean cooking from the BFF and her mom.