Fish Guts

Not quite the "rolly polly fish heads" (see note below) that Young Stumblers #2 and #4 used to sing about, but close. Mamma Stumbler has been reviewing various Korean foods in preparation for her visit. A couple of days ago she sent me the name of a dish that she will never ever eat. I asked around to my Korean friends, and everyone knew it but couldn't explain it to me. Finally Mamma Stumbler explained in another email. "Salted Pollack Intestines". Yummm. I did a search on the internet for salted pollack guts or intestines, and got some interesting sites. Here is the best description:

Jangnanjeot (Salted Pollack Guts)

Pollack entrails are cleaned and pressed in a cloth under a heavy weight overnight before being salted for another twenty hours. The salted guts mixed with garlic, ginger, and red pepper powder are put in a jar and allowed to stand for about two weeks. The dish is finished by the addition of salted raddish and more garlic and red pepper powder. It needs to stand for three or four days before serving.

I found a photo of this dish by searching on a Korean site...



I am not sure if I've eaten this before or not. If I have, I certainly have not known what it was. A lot of the side dishes that are served at a restaurant are not easy to translate into English. Usually I must be satisfied knowing only "is this a plant or an animal?" Now that I know what to look for, I'll be on the alert next time I go out. And while Mamma Stumbler can't eat this, I am CERTAIN that Mr. John, should he ever visit Korea again, can gobble this stuff up.

Fish Heads Note:

Here is the poetic chorus from the aforementioned song:

Fish heads, Fish heads
Rolly polly Fish heads
Fish heads, Fish heads
Eat them up, Yummm

Those of you not familiar with this lyrical masterpiece should search for the full lyrics on the internet. And yes, there are soups here in Korea and I think Japan also that have the fish head inside. I've eaten them, the soups that is, I politely set the head aside and only ate the body.