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    Home » Main Dish

    Domi Maeuntang (Spicy Fish Stew with Red Snapper)

    Published 04/08/2018. Updated 12/19/2021

    Jump to Recipe

    DSC 2725 2 e1613456389474 - Domi Maeuntang (Spicy Fish Stew with Red Snapper)

    One of the classic Korean stew dishes is this spicy fish stew, called maeuntang (매운탕). In Korea, maeuntang is made with all sorts of fish, including freshwater ones. For this recipe, I made it with a red snapper (domi, 도미), which has a firm, white flesh with a mildly sweet and nutty flavor.

    Maeuntang is a general term for spicy stews, but it’s commonly used to refer to spicy fish stews. “Maeun” means spicy. “Tang” is a term used for certain types of soup (guk), such as seolleongtang and galbitang, or sometimes for certain types of stew (jjigae) dishes, such as gamjatang and maeuntang. Traditionally, the term “tang” was used for elaborate soups or stews, but it’s loosely used in modern days.

    For this stew, you can use any firm, white flesh fish. Cod fish (daegu, 대구), monkfish (agu, 아구), black rockfish (wooreok, 우럭) and yellow croaker (jogi, 조기) are some of the common ones.

    DSC 2704 2 - Domi Maeuntang (Spicy Fish Stew with Red Snapper)

    We normally use a whole fish cut up for this dish, including the head and bones. You can ask the fishmonger to clean and cut it for you. If preferred, use fish fillets, but the head and bones are great for flavoring the stew. Be sure the fish you buy is absolutely fresh!

    In Korea, a great number of restaurants specializing in seafood have an aquarium(s) in house, where live fish are kept. This reminds me of maeuntang we had in Tongyeoung last fall, a southern coastal city of Korea. We arrived late and very hungry. After being turned away by several restaurants which were closing, we were invited in by a nice lady at a small restaurant. She made us maeuntang with a couple of fish she caught from her fish tank outside. She also allowed me in her kitchen to watch her making the stew. Her maeuntang was a memorable one!

    DSC 2723 1 e1613456552317 - Domi Maeuntang (Spicy Fish Stew with Red Snapper)

    As with most of Korean stews (jjigae), anchovy broth is used for this dish to add depth to the stew. I like to throw in some clams (or shrimp) to add another layer of flavor to the broth.

    Finally, adjust the spicy level to your taste by reducing or increasing gochugaru. For a mild tasting fish stew, see my daegu tang recipe.

    DSC 2715 2 - Domi Maeuntang (Spicy Fish Stew with Red Snapper)

    For more Korean cooking inspirations, follow along on YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

    DSC 2704 2 350x350 - Domi Maeuntang (Spicy Fish Stew with Red Snapper)

    Domi Maeuntang (Spicy Fish Stew with Red Snapper)

    4.37 from 25 votes
    Main
    Servings: 2
    Print Recipe

    Ingredients

    • 1 whole snapper about 1-1/4 pounds
    • 3 little neck clams or any other small clams
    • 6 ounces mu, (무, Korean radish) 1 inch disk
    • 6 ounces tofu
    • 3 ounces zucchini
    • 1 scallion
    • 1 ounce ssukgat crown daisy or watercress

    Seasoning:

    • 1-1/2 tablespoons gochugaru Korean red chili pepper flakes
    • 1 teaspoon gochujang Korean red chili pepper paste
    • 1 teaspoon doenjang Korean fermented soybean paste
    • 1 tablespoon fish sauce or soup soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon garlic
    • 1 teaspoon ginger

    Other:

    • 3 cups anchovy broth or water
    • salt to taste about 1 teaspoon
    • pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Clean the fish, remove guts, scales, and fins, if not already done by the fishmonger. Rinse and scrub the clams. Place the clams in salted water (1 tablespoon of salt in 2 to 3 cups of water) for 30 minutes or longer to get the clams to spit out the sand.
      DSC 2708 e1523245170686 - Domi Maeuntang (Spicy Fish Stew with Red Snapper)
    • Clean the vegetables. Cut the radish into bite sizes. Thinly slice the scallions and the pepper. Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch thick small pieces.
      DSC 2667 e1523245270428 - Domi Maeuntang (Spicy Fish Stew with Red Snapper)
    • In a small bowl, combine all the seasoning ingredients and mix well.
      DSC 2674 e1523245319263 - Domi Maeuntang (Spicy Fish Stew with Red Snapper)
    • Add the broth to a medium size pot along with the radish and the seasoning mix. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Cook until the radish turns soft, about 3 minutes.
      DSC 2692 e1523245348363 - Domi Maeuntang (Spicy Fish Stew with Red Snapper)
    • Drop in the fish, clams and tofu. When it comes to a boil again, reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the clams are open and the fish is almost cooked through, about 5 minutes. (Do not overcook. The fish will continue to cook in the boiling hot broth while being served and eaten.) 
      DSC 2696 1 e1523245390202 - Domi Maeuntang (Spicy Fish Stew with Red Snapper)
    • Add the zucchini, enoki mushrooms, and scallions, and boil for a minute or two.  Place the watercress or crown daisy leaves on top. Turn the heat off. Serve piping hot with the optional lemon slice on top.DSC 2699 1 e1523245452531 - Domi Maeuntang (Spicy Fish Stew with Red Snapper)
    Tried this recipe?Mention @koreanbapsang or tag #koreanbapsang!

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    Comments

    1. Jane Park says

      January 23, 2023 at 6:35 pm

      5 stars
      Yum! Really delicious. Thank you! Made just as you said, but used cod instead of the red snapper

      Reply
    2. Stacy J says

      January 18, 2022 at 9:55 pm

      5 stars
      Perfect recipe. I was worried because red snapper is expensive but after trying many other recipes, I feel confident buying ingredients and cooking with your recipes. Thank you so much!

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        January 20, 2022 at 9:44 pm

        Thank you! Glad it came out perfectly for you.

        Reply
    3. Ashley says

      March 15, 2021 at 11:44 pm

      5 stars
      Made this tonight with yellow croaker and it was absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing. Love your recipes so much!

      Reply
    4. Julie says

      February 14, 2021 at 9:15 am

      It says this recipe if for 39 servings it that correct? I only wanna try to make it for 4 servings.

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        February 16, 2021 at 1:36 am

        Wow how did that happen? I recently switched a blog theme and some things got messed up. Maybe this is related to that too. Fixed it! I can only put one number but this can be 2 to 3 servings. Maybe 4 small servings.

        Reply
    5. Maya Jensen says

      December 28, 2019 at 9:22 pm

      Hi, I would like to make this recipe but what is “6 ounces mu 1 inch disk”? Thank you

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        December 29, 2019 at 2:43 pm

        It’s Korean radish, a variety of white radish.

        Reply
    6. Yawar says

      July 15, 2018 at 2:47 pm

      5 stars
      Fantastic!
      I was searching for it finally!
      Thanks

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        July 15, 2018 at 8:55 pm

        Great! Hope you enjoy it.

        Reply
    7. Rarakitchen says

      June 20, 2018 at 5:03 am

      4 stars
      Cheers hyosun you are the best korean food blogger, anyway did you ever try indonesian food???

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        June 20, 2018 at 6:20 pm

        Thanks! Yes I have.

        Reply
    8. Ermin Fei says

      May 09, 2018 at 12:16 pm

      Hello Hyosun ssi.. i would like to ask you, when should we put in the zuchinni? And please note that there is no enoki mushroom in your ingredient list. Thank you ^^.

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        May 11, 2018 at 5:50 pm

        Oops thank you for letting me know. Fixed it.

        Reply
        • Maggie says

          July 27, 2018 at 6:30 am

          I still don’t see where it says to add zucchini but I added it with the fish and tofu

          Reply
          • Hyosun says

            August 03, 2018 at 11:53 am

            Oh so sorry. I thought I did. Now added.

            Reply
            • Ermin Fei says

              March 03, 2020 at 5:28 am

              Still no enoki mushroom on the ingredient list 😅

    9. Erin McBride says

      April 17, 2018 at 3:50 am

      Hello Hyosun, you have a fabulous website which I found quite by accident. I am trying to find a particular Korean seafood recipe and I think I may have found it here. For may years I was a fisheries observer in and around the Southern Ocean, and many of my voyages were on Korean & Japanese trawlers. Always, the food on these vessels was superb but as the cooks seldom spoke english I never managed to get any of those recipes. I fondly remember my favourite dish, which was a seafood stew with tofu and a chilli sort of gravy, but the fish was poached, not fried nor grilled, and was so moist and yummy and tender. Today I bought a couple of ponds of fresh Ling and want to recreate that dish. Your Domi Maeuntang recipe looks to be it, but I cannot remember having shrimps nor shellfish with it? Is there a similar recipe that doesn’t include these? Many thanks
      Erin McBride

      Reply
      • Hyosun says

        April 17, 2018 at 8:56 pm

        Hi Erin – Yes it sounds like it was maeuntang. Please simply omit shellfish if preferred. I use it to add another layer to the broth but it can be omitted. Koreans make maeuntang with or without shellfish. It’s a matter of preference or sometimes depending on what’s available. I know nothing like a stew made with fish fresh from the ocean, but hope this recipe is close enough. Enjoy!

        Reply

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    Hi! I'm Hyosun, and I am a Korean-American mom of two wonderful grown-up children. Here, you will learn how to cook Korean dishes the way we Koreans traditionally eat at home. Read More...

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