Maeuntang with whiting (spicy fish stew)

Maeuntang is the spicy fish stew Koreans eat when it gets cold, usually made with fresh pollock (saengtae). Whiting looks a lot like it and is easy to find at a fish market, and it works beautifully: soft white flakes in a deep, spicy, clean broth.

Serves 2–3 1 lb cleaned whiting, cut in 2-inch pieces 5–6 oz Korean radish, thin bite-size slices ½ onion, sliced ½ large green onion, sliced 1–2 green chili peppers, sliced 2–3 sprigs ssukgat (crown daisy), optional 1 tbsp doenjang, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp fish sauce 2–3 tbsp gochugaru, 4 garlic cloves minced 4 cups water 1. Mix doenjang, soy sauce, gochugaru, fish sauce and garlic into a paste. 2. Boil the radish in the water, covered, 15 min over medium-high. 3. Add the fish and the paste, stir gently, cover and cook 15 min. Crack the lid if it boils over. 4. Add onion, green onion and chili, 5 more min on medium. 5. Off the heat, ssukgat on top, serve right away with rice and kimchi. The radish cooking first is what makes the broth sweet, so don't skip those 15 minutes.