Delicious & Easy

Opah Abductor Yukhoe

Yukhoe is Korea’s version of steak tartare. The opah abductor is a dark red cut of meat from the opah fish that works much like a beef steak. This specialty seafood cut can be found at a local seafood retailer (read Where's the Fish on page 16). The other ingredients should be easy to find at your local grocery store, or most certainly at H-Mart or Zion Market in San Diego’s Convoy District.

Ingredients for

Opah Abductor Yukhoe

1 pound opah abductor muscle fillet, frozen for about 1–2 hours

1 tablespoon sugar

1 Korean pear 

2 cups of cold water

6 or 7 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean red pepper chili paste)

½ of green onion, chopped

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon of honey 

1 tablespoon sesame oil

a pinch of ground black pepper

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

4 eggs, yolks only

12 garlic chives, trimmed to the top ¾ inches each

Instructions for

Opah Abductor Yukhoe

Place the opah in the freezer to firm up for 1 hour. Combine 2 cups of cold water with  sugar and mix thoroughly. Peel the Korean pear and slice it into matchsticks. Add the pear matchsticks to the sugar water for 10 minutes. Drain the pear slices and pat them dry with a paper towel.

Meanwhile, make the seasoning mixture by adding the garlic, gochujang, green onion, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, ground black pepper, and toasted sesame seeds to a bowl. Mix to fully combine. 

Remove the opah from the freezer, rinse it under cold water and then dry thoroughly with paper towels. Slice it into thin matchsticks to match the pear slices and place those slices in a large bowl. Pour the seasoning mixture over the opah slices and mix well. 

Place a ring mold in the center of a plate and fill it with the seasoned opah. Repeat this for the remaining plates. Create a slight divot in the center of the top of the opah on each plate and carefully transfer an egg yolk into it. Top each egg yolk with three garlic chive tip segments and arrange the Korean pair batons around the Yukhoe.

Frequently asked

Questions About This Recipe

Cut from the opah fish, the abductor muscle is dark red and cooks like beef or pork.

Final

Notes & Thoughts