Koreans like seafood a lot, so there are many different kinds of seafood dishes in Korean cuisine. Since I moved to the U.S.A, it has been difficult for me to find fresh seafood because we are living far away from any ocean. For that reason, I have not been posting many seafood recipes, even though there are many seafood menu items that I would like to share with you. Anyway, we recently went to one of those big Korean grocery stores (in different state) and I finally got some fresh squid and watercress. Watercress is another ingredient that is hard to find where we live. This food is very common in Korea, especially in my hometown of GwangJu. The unique flavor of watercress is great in combination with the boiled squid and the spicy sauce. Oops, I am hungry for this again, but I guess I’ll have to wait for another trip to the Korean store. 😥 I’m happy to share this delicious Korean food with you. 😉
Yield: 2 Cups
Short Korean Lesson
- OJingEo (오징어) = Squid
- MiNaRi (미나리) = Watercress
Video Instructions
Main Ingredients
- 1 Medium Squid (About ⅔ Cup)
- 3.5 oz Watercress
- ⅓ Cup Onion
- ½ Cup Cucumber
Seasoning Ingredients
- 2½ Tbsp Red Pepper Paste
- ½ Tbsp Red Pepper Powder
- 4 tsp Brown Rice Vinegar or Apple Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Minced Garlic
- 1 tsp Sesame Seeds
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
- ¼ tsp Salt
Directions
To make a fancy pattern in the squid, make horizontal scratches in the squid with a knife. The lines should be about ¼ inch apart. Be very careful to not press too hard or you will cut the squid.
Divide the squid in half.
Next, make scratches in the squid like before, but in the vertical direction and about ⅛ inch apart. Every third scratch, cut all the way through. You will get about ⅔ of a cup.
Prepare 1 handful (3.5 oz) of watercress. Remove the bad parts and wash it. Cut the watercress into 3-inch lengths. Normally, you can just cut them in half.
In boiling water, add the watercress and some salt. Boil it for about 20 seconds on high. The salt and the short boiling time help keep the watercress green.
20 seconds later, quickly put the boiled watercress in ice water. This is another tip for maintaining its nice green color.
In 2 cups of boiling water, add the squid. Cook it for about 3 minutes on high.
The boiled squid will have a nice pattern.
Squeeze the water out of the watercress. You will get about ⅓ cup of watercress. In this step, slice a ⅓ cup of onion thinly and cut ½ cup of cucumber diagonally.
In a mixing bowl, combine the squid, watercress, onion, cucumber, and the seasoning ingredients: 2½ Tbsp red pepper paste, ½ Tbsp red pepper powder, 4 tsp vinegar, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp sesame seeds, 1 tsp sesame oil, and ¼ tsp salt.
Mix everything together. Wow, this is mouth watering. 🙂
Serve it with rice, soup, and other Korean side dishes. It tastes best when it is fresh, but you can keep it for about 2 or 3 days in the refrigerator. Enjoy. 🙂
nimari is my fav!! looks really good. good way to enjoy minari~ 😉
hi Angie,
When I was a little, I didn’t like minari..but now i love it.. ^^ delicious and healthy.. hehe thanks
hihi, aeri, besides make horizontal scratches in the squid , we will also make vertical scratches, then will come out square pattern after cooked, square shape will appeared, will you normally do this?
hi stephaniebobo,
yep.. we can make different patterns by scratching it.. ^^
오징어미나리초무침 음,어디맛있 ^^
감사합니다 ^^
hi 쇼우그,
네 너무 너무 맛있었어요. ^^
감사합니다 ^^
aahh, love watercress too 😛 i will try this new way to cook it 😉 i mostly cook it in soup (with pork or beef stock).
actually, it’s the same story here in holland. it’s hard to get fresh seafood like we do in asia 😕
hi layping,
what kind of seasoning the soup has ?? sounds interesting.. ^^
I really like your cooking method and style. Thanks!!!!
me too,she’s really good making easy dishes and you won’t feel guilty eating those :)they all look great
hi Young Santiago and sheng,
Thank you for your comments… I will try to make better recipes in the future.. hehe
Cook watercress for 20 minutes or 20 seconds?
Looks like she’s blanching them… so it would likely be 20 seconds.
hi Manky Cat,
You are right.. hehe thanks 🙂
hi :D,
Oops, you found my mistyping.. yep.. it is 20 seconds.. sorry.. ^^;; I fixed it..
Wow~ I just made it and it turned out nice 😀 I hope you post new recipies … HWUAITING!! 😮
hi 별화,
Okay..I will try.. thanks 🙂
How delicious! Watercress is really hard to get down here as well, unless I drive the four hours to Atlanta to get some. However, when I was little, one of my aunties planted some in a ditch behind her house and a ton started growing back there. She’s sinced moved, but I sometimes wonder if the watercress is still there. I’d check, but the house has been sold, and I think the new owners would think me odd if I asked to go in their backyard and pick weeds from their ditch. LoL
hi Sandy,
wow.. 4 hours @,@ maybe you have to plant the watercress.. we are planning it for next year.. oh.. I will like to go that house and check if they are still there too.. lol we can ask them.. if they need cleaning weed for free… lol
This is a whole new side of the Korean food recipes I have seen, I like your recipes!
😀
hi Lourdes,
Thanks.. please visit more often.. hehe
Hi Aeri, It has been awhile that I didn’t post any comment on your website, but I follow you on facebook so I am still in the loop. I want to try this Spicy Squid and watecress dish. Looks good to me. But just like you it is hard to find fresh seafood where I live. I will probably have to settle with frozen squid…it might not taste the same but will see.
hi Meia,
I’m happy to hear from you again. Actually.. frozen one will not be too bad… so try it someday. 🙂
Hi Aeri!
I’ve been a silent reader at your blog for a while now and have tried a number of your recipes. Thank you so much for posting so many wonderful recipes. This one looks so mouth watering and I can’t wait to try it!
Hi Angela,
Thanks for your comment. ^^ I will love to see more your comments in the future. hehe 😉 Have a great weekend.