Masan city, South Gyeongsang province; agujjim is so associated with Masan that the city is nicknamed 아구찜의 고향 (hometown of agujjim); the dish spread nationally after monkfish was popularised in the 1960s
Agujjim (아구찜) is a signature dish of Masan and the South Gyeongsang coast: monkfish (아귀, Lophiomus setigerus), a famously ugly but flavour-dense fish, braised over high heat in a gochujang and gochugaru-based sauce with mung bean sprouts (숙주나물) that simultaneously absorb the spiced broth and contribute a crisp counterpoint to the fish's gelatinous flesh. The defining characteristic of monkfish is the thick collagen layer under its skin that melts during braising to a sticky, lip-coating richness that amplifies the spiced sauce. The dish is finished with perilla leaves, green onion, and sesame oil, then brought to the table in the cooking vessel still bubbling.
Served in the cooking vessel with the braising sauce still bubbling. Eaten with steamed rice; the sauce is mixed directly into the rice. The pan-fried rice (볶음밥) made from the leftover sauce is the reward for finishing the main dish.
{"Use bone-in monkfish pieces (아귀살 + 뼈) — the bone and skin contribute gelatin that forms the sauce's characteristic sticky body","Bean sprouts are added in the final 3 minutes only — they must remain crunchy; overcooked sprouts collapse and make the dish wet","High heat throughout the braising — agujjim is not a slow-cooked dish; it is a fast, fierce braise of 15–20 minutes total","The sauce base (gochugaru + gochujang + doenjang + ganjang + garlic) is premixed and poured over the fish at the start"}
In Masan (마산), the traditional style uses air-dried monkfish (말린 아귀) — the drying concentrates the flavour and the rehydration in the spiced broth during braising creates a more intense result than fresh fish. The collagen-rich braising liquid, once the fish is eaten, is used to cook rice directly in the pan (볶음밥) as a second meal from the same dish — one of the most practical and satisfying kitchen practises in Korean coastal cooking.
{"Using filleted, skinless monkfish — the collagen layer under the skin is essential to the sauce's sticky texture; keep the skin on","Adding bean sprouts at the start — they turn limp and contribute unwanted moisture to the sauce","Low heat — the monkfish steams in its own moisture rather than braising in the concentrated sauce"}