It’s been over 5 years since I last posted a doenjang jjigae (된장찌개) recipe, which is a staple stew made with fermented soybean paste, doenjang. It was a very basic doenjang jjigae recipe, that I made with fatty pork, but a very popular one. Head over there if you like meat in your stew. This time, I made a variation made with seafood.
Any type of seafood can be added. The typical additions are clams, mussels, shrimp, squid, and oysters. You can use any one of these or a combination.
The most important ingredient in doenjang jjigae is obviously doenjang. Doenjang is traditionally homemade, but most households buy commercially available doenjang these days. For many years, we were lucky enough to have doenjang that my mother-in-law made. It was the best doenjang! Now that she’s unable to make it, I usually resort to locally made home-style doenjang that’s sold at some Korean markets. If unavailable, I get one of the major brands.
We all know by now a good Korean stew requires anchovy broth, and it doesn’t take much time to make it. Make a habit of using anchovy broth in your stew. Dry anchovies last a long time in the freezer.
A small trick you can use for doenjang jjigae is to use a small amount of vinegar at the end. It will brighten the doenjang taste, making the stew even more delicious!

- 1 cup assortment of seafood I used a few small clams, 1/2 squid, and 5 medium shrimp
- 8 to 10 ounces tofu
- 1/2 medium zucchini
- 3 to 4 mushroom caps
- 1/4 medium onion
- 3 ounces Korean radish mu
- 1 chili pepper green or red
- 1 to 2 scallions
- 2 tablespoons Korean soybean paste doenjang
- 1 teaspoon Korean chili pepper flakes gochugaru
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 3 cups of anchovy broth or water see note
Use the water used to rinse rice, ssal ddeum mul or anchovy broth for jjigae/stew. For anchovy broth, boil about 10 medium dry anchovies and one 3-inch square dried kelp in 4 cups of water for 10 minutes.
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