Korean Mulhoe (Spicy Raw Fish Soup)

Ingredients

• 300 g sashimi-grade white fish (Thinly sliced; use very fresh halibut, flounder, sea bream, or another sashimi-grade fish.)
• 1 cucumber (Julienned or thinly sliced.)
• 0.5 Asian pear (Julienned; optional but traditional for sweetness and crunch.)
• 0.25 onion (Very thinly sliced.)
• 0.5 carrot (Julienned.)
• 5 perilla leaves (Thinly sliced; substitute shiso or additional lettuce if unavailable.)
• 2 cup lettuce (Shredded.)
• 3 tbsp gochujang (Korean fermented red chili paste.)
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar (Use Korean vinegar if available.)
• 1 tbsp sugar (The transcript audibly mentions sugar; adjust to taste.)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (For seasoning the broth.)
• 2 clove garlic (Minced.)
• 1 tsp sesame oil (For aroma.)
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds (For garnish.)
• 1.5 cup cold water (Use very cold water; add ice if desired.)
• 1 cup ice (Optional, for serving the mulhoe very cold.)

Steps

1. 1

   Keep the sashimi-grade fish refrigerated while preparing the vegetables and sauce. Slice the fish into bite-size pieces and set it aside on a chilled plate.

2. 2

   Julienne or thinly slice the cucumber, Asian pear, onion, carrot, perilla leaves, and lettuce. Keep the vegetables separate until assembly so they remain crisp.

3. 3

   In a bowl, whisk together the gochujang, rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, minced garlic, sesame oil, and cold water. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the broth is smooth and bright red.

4. 4

   Taste the broth and adjust it as needed: add vinegar for more tang, sugar for sweetness, gochujang for heat, or cold water to mellow the seasoning.

5. 5

   Arrange the sliced vegetables in two chilled bowls. Place the raw fish over the vegetables.

6. 6

   Pour the cold spicy broth over the fish and vegetables. Add ice if desired, then sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Notes

The transcript is fragmentary Korean audio and does not provide a reliable complete recipe or measurements. Mulhoe contains raw seafood; use only fish explicitly sold as sashimi-grade, keep it below 4°C/40°F, and eat immediately. Do not serve raw fish to people for whom raw seafood is unsafe.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• Korean
• raw seafood
• no-cook
• spicy
• refreshing
• gluten-free if using gluten-free soy sauce