Saengseon-Jeon — Fish Fillet Jeon (생선전)

Ingredients

• 400 g white-fleshed fish fillets, pollock, frozen pollock, hairtail, or sea bream; sliced into pieces approximately 1 cm thick
• 1 tsp fine salt, for seasoning the fish before coating
• ½ tsp white pepper, for seasoning the fish before coating
• 50 g plain flour, for dredging
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 30 ml neutral cooking oil, for pan-frying; added in stages
• For the cho-ganjang dipping sauce
• 30 ml soy sauce
• 15 ml rice vinegar

Method

1. 1
   Lay the fish fillets on a clean rack or board and allow them to air-dry for 10 minutes, so moisture drawn to the surface during refrigeration can evaporate rather than sit trapped beneath the coating. Follow with thorough patting on all sides using paper towels. The surface must feel completely dry to the touch — any remaining moisture will prevent the coating from adhering and will produce uneven browning.
2. 2
   Season the dried fillets lightly on both sides with salt and white pepper. If any fillet is thicker than 1 cm, score the skin side with 2–3 shallow diagonal cuts so the fillet lies flat in the pan rather than arching away from the heat as it tightens.
3. 3
   Dredge each fillet in plain flour, pressing lightly so the flour adheres on all surfaces, then shake away any excess so the layer stays thin and even — a heavy flour build-up will turn pasty rather than forming a clean crust. Pass each floured fillet through the beaten egg, coating both sides fully. This is where the dish lives or dies: flour applied to a wet fillet will clump and slide, and egg over a flour coat that is too thick will produce a heavy, uneven shell — the coated fillet should look pale and uniformly veiled, with no bare patches and no thick accumulations.
4. 4
   Set a wide pan over medium to medium-low heat and add the oil — a gentler heat is deliberate here, so the egg coating sets to pale gold without scorching before the fish has time to cook through. When the oil shimmers and a drop of egg sets immediately on contact, lay the fillets flesh-side down in a single layer without crowding. Cook until the underside is pale gold — not deep brown — and the edges have just turned opaque.
5. 5
   Turn each fillet once and cook the skin side until the coating is pale gold and set, and the fish yields to gentle pressure with no raw resistance at the centre. Transfer to a rack or paper towel so the base does not steam and soften against a flat surface. The correct colour throughout is pale gold; deep browning indicates over-cooking.
6. 6
   Stir together the soy sauce and rice vinegar to make the cho-ganjang. Serve the jeon warm or at room temperature alongside the dipping sauce.