Name: Korean Hoe Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 4 frozen Tilapia fillet; 3 tsp 70% vinegar essence; 1-1/2 tsp salt; 1 large carrot; 1 large onion (sliced); 4 cloves garlic (chopped); 2 Tbsp oil; 1 tsp sesame oil; 3 tsp paprika; 1 tsp cumin; 1 tsp coriander powder; 1-1/2 Tbsp soy sauce; 1 medium cucumber; 1/2 red bell pepper; 1 cup chopped cilantro; 1 tsp chili pepper ((or less))

Hoe (pronounced “Hei” with short “ei”) is a meat dish from Korean cuisine. This marinated fish recipe will remind you of ceviche, but with a lot more flavor going for it. It also is accompanied by a variety of vegetables, which only adds to the taste of this fascinating Korean hoe recipe.

Hoe, also pronounced “Хе” in Russian, is one of the prominent fish recipes of Korean population of Central Asia. So much so, that it is very famous among other nationalities of Central Asia, too. Wikipedia gives a very interesting background on this dish and mainly describes it as raw fish. However, I remember and have been making this dish in a marinated form, which ensures that the fish is “cooked” through during marination.

I also like to add different vegetables into the dish, turning it into a salad. You can opt out from using some of the vegetables, although the tandem of all of the vegetables in the dish work quite well together. Either way, you choose, I highly recommend you stick with the spices to enjoy the real and authentic Korean Central Asian Hoe recipe.

It is quite fascinating what history of food can teach you. While researching more about the much-beloved dish for our family, I learned so much about the population of Central Asian Koreans, who called themselves “Koryo Saram”, which means “Korean Person”. Koreans were not native to Central Asia. Nor were they native to Russia, from where Stalin relocated all of the Koreans to Central Asia, namely to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. This move had such dire consequences for Russian Koreans. It was heartbreaking to read their stories. While I will not be able to write everything I read on my food blog, I highly encourage you to do a little digging of your own. For me living side-by-side with our Korean neighbors was a blessing. I’ve made great friendships and always known my Korean friends to be reliable, friendly, honest, hardworking and amazing human beings.

Let’s talk about fish.

There is no consensus on which fish really works well for this recipe. Technically, raw fish, Hoe, can be made with a lot of fish. But we are going to be marinating this fish with vinegar. Not a lot of fish work out well with 70% strength vinegar, turning very rubbery. I know for sure that fish like salmon, cod, and trout will absolutely not work for this recipe. Believe me, I’ve tried. What works remarkably well for me was fillet of carp and tilapia. I’ve heard pikes perch is also a delicious option, but I have not tried it myself.

I often use previously frozen fish, too, and most certainly love this method the most. Killing all the parasites which might linger in the fish is ideal, of course. I believe freezing the fish helps a lot. The rest should be taken care of with 70% vinegar essence.

Let’s talk about vinegar.

The strength of the vinegar is very important for marinating Hoe. Growing up using 70% white vinegar essence was essential. There is no finding such strength vinegar in American supermarkets. The only place you can possibly purchase it is from ethnic Russian or European food stores. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend a substitution for it either.

Ingredients:

4 frozen Tilapia fillet
3 tsp 70% vinegar essence
1-1/2 tsp salt
1 large carrot
1 large onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp sesame oil
3 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander powder
1-1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 medium cucumber
1/2 red bell pepper
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp crushed chili pepper (start with 1/2 tsp)

Directions:

Slice tilapia fillets in even, 1-inch strips. Place all the fish pieces in a small bowl.

Add vinegar and 1 tsp of salt. Mix well.

The fish will turn from transparent to whitish color because of the strong vinegar essence. Cover the lid of the container and refrigerate the fish for at least and hour. Sometimes I prep this part at night, and keep the fish in the fridge for about 12 hours.

Prepare the salad base for the fish. Julienne the carrot and place it in a small container. Add 1/2 tsp salt and mix it in with the carrot.

Add 2 cloves of chopped garlic on top the of the carrots. Add 1/2 tsp coriander, 1 tsp of cumin and 1 tsp of paprika. Leave it aside without mixing the ingredients just yet.

Heat the skillet with 2 TBSP of oil and saute half of the sliced onions, until slightly browned.

Add slightly caramelized onions to the carrots and mix everything very well. Set the carrot mixture aside and let all the spices to mingle.

If the fish is ready (if the time is up), take it out from the refrigerator and discard the liquid from under the fish.

Add remaining sliced onions into the bowl with the fish.

Add remaining 2 cloves (chopped) into the bowl. Slice the cucumbers in half moon shape, slice red bell peppers and add into the bowl with the fish.

Incorporate the carrot salad into the bowl with fish, add soy sauce, sesame oil, remaining paprika, crushed chili pepper, remaining coriander powder and chopped cilantro into the bowl.

Mix everything very well together. Try the salad to see if the salt is where you want it. Place the ready salad in the refrigerator and let it rest for about 30 minutes before you serve it.

Hoe keeps well in the refrigerator for about a week. To be totally honest with you, I have never had it sitting in the fridge for that long. Usually, we devour it very quickly! The recipe itself is very easy and forgiving. However, if you have any questions, I am here to answer them for you!

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