Yangpyeong haejangguk (hangover soup), Chuncheon spicy stir-fried chicken, Masan braised spicy monkfish… These are some of the most popular examples of specialty dishes with names of Korean cities as a prefix. These names act as an important hint suggesting where to go to enjoy the best flavors of a particular dish. The same goes for Busan fish cake. You can experience the most delicious, plump fish cakes in the port city of Busan, located in the southeast region of Korea.
Fish cake refers to a dish made by grilling, boiling, steaming, or frying mashed fish meat, seasoned and shaped with salt and starch. It’s one of the most popular Korean street food menus along with tteokbokki and sundae (blood sausage). The plump and chewy fish cakes cooked in steaming hot broth come to mind once the weather starts becoming chilly. Fish cakes are loved by the whole nation not just in the wintertime, but also as a side dish or a snack to enjoy with drinks.
Fish cake originates from the Japanese food, kamaboko, which first came into Korea during the Japanese colonial era. Since then, it has evolved into the fish cake we know today to better fit the Korean people’s tastes. In Busan, especially, people were able to use fresh fish caught from the coastal waters thanks to the geographical characteristic and hence were able to make higher quality fish cakes with a lot more meat content compared to other regions of the country. Because refrigerated trucks weren’t commercialized back then, the ability to obtain raw materials so easily played a crucial role in contributing to the development of Busan’s fish cakes.
Today, Busan fish cakes are being produced in many different styles, giving consumers a joyful experience of choosing from numerous flavors and shapes. For example, various ingredients like vegetables, squid, shrimp, crab meat, rice cakes, and cheese are added to the fish cakes for an upgraded flavor and texture. You can also find fish cakes in different shapes like balls, croquettes, and hand rolls. The history of Busan fish cake is still being written to this day and we can’t wait to see what kind of new flavors and shapes Busan fish cake will come in in the future.
Out of the various Korean foods that use fish cakes, stir-fried fish cakes, a side dish made with regular rectangular fish cakes, is the most popular! Why don’t you try making this steady-seller side dish using Goraesa Fish Cake that’s being sold at Ploma?
