Domi Maeuntang — Spicy Sea Bream Stew (도미 매운탕)

Maeuntang as a dish form is pan-Korean; domi maeuntang as a premium expression is most associated with the coastal Gyeongsang region where red sea bream (참돔) is fished

Domi maeuntang (도미 매운탕) uses the whole red sea bream (Pagrus major, 참돔) — one of Korea's most prized fish — in a boldly spiced broth with gochugaru, gochujang, doenjang, garlic, and a backbone of anchovy-kelp stock. The Gyeongsang-do style of maeuntang is the most intensely flavoured regional version: more gochugaru, more garlic, and the addition of doenjang to the broth base alongside gochujang, which the Seoul version typically omits. Whole fish is used rather than fillets — the head, collar, and spine contribute the most flavour and gelatin to the broth; eating the cheek meat (볼살, bol-sal) from a whole domi is considered the reward for the patient diner.

• Parallels the Cantonese whole-fish spiced broth tradition, Thai tom kha pla (spicy fish soup), and the French bouillabaisse principle of whole-fish broth complexity — all traditions where the fish head and frame contribute the essential flavour dimension

Domi maeuntang's cheek meat (볼살), plucked from the cooked whole fish head, is one of Korean seafood cuisine's most prized single bites — sweet, fatty, and intensely flavoured from the cheek's natural fat content. The broth, drunk from a spoon or bowl, concentrates all the marine and fermented elements into a single complex liquid.