Spicy Pollock Roe Stew (Al Tang or Al Jjigae) is a wonderful hearty spicy fish egg stew that is bursting with flavors of the sea while having that unique mix of Korean flavors that are hard to tell what’s in it but it just tastes really really good. This is a dish that’s hard to replicate and have the same flavor every time unless you have a recipe.
Or…you have made it all your life and have perfected making Al Tang with no recipe. Another one of my husband’s favorite stew, he actually requests this spicy pollock roe stew every now and then. And in the past, I have made it but was never 100% satisfied with the outcome. Because you see..I did not grow up with this dish and was not part of our family’s regular menu.
In our family, my father used to make the BEST EVER Myeongranjeot Jjigae 명란젓찌게 which is different from this stew. Myeongranjeot Jjigae is made from SALTED Pollock Roe (myeongranjeot) and is a milder stew because you want to enjoy the full flavor of the lovely myeongran. Myeongran is a great salty fish egg that I will have to share more details in another post later.
Now, this spicy pollock roe stew or Al Tang (or sometimes called Al Jjigae) is made with unsalted fresh or frozen pollock roe (Alaska Pollock Fish egg) and is more heavily seasoned than Myeongranjeot Jjigae. We load our hearty spicy fish egg stew with garlic, pepper powder and gochujang. At restaurants, it comes out super spicy and super HOT, boiling like crazy in the hot pot. A perfect way to burn your tongue…😵😬haha.. but yummy.
Where can you buy pollock roe (Myeongtae Al 명태알)?
If you have a decent Korean market nearby, they should have it in the freezer section. Like this one –
They may even sell Iri 이리 (sperm sac aka Milt) together which really makes the stew so much more rich tasting. Below is a picture of the milt -close up.
Check out my Dongtae Jjigae post for more discussion on Iri. 😜 The frozen package above had both the pollock roe and milt in one package which was perfect for making this Al Tang. But note that they substituted Cod milt instead of Pollock milt. The flavor is pretty similar (I actually couldn’t tell the difference) so I think it works. I’m sure it’s because Cod is a bigger fish and so they have more to sell.
Chef’s Tips for Perfect Spicy Pollock Roe Stew (Al Tang or Al Jjigae)
- Substitutes – if Pollock Roe is not available, you can try Cod Roe or some other fish roe. Just make sure it’s not salted or seasoned.
- Do NOT cut the roe into pieces before cooking because all the eggs will all disperse throughout the stew. Leave the roe sac whole or cut it with scissors AFTER the outside has been cooked a little bit.
- Use anchovy stock or fish stock for the broth. This makes the stew extra flavorful.
- Time saving tip – Make anchovy stock ahead of time and keep in fridge to use for this and other soups or stews.
- Add Milt (Iri) – fish milt adds great richness to your stew and makes it taste even better. Try adding it to your stew but is optional.
- Add fresh ssukat (Chrysanthemum leaves) or minari (water dropwort) and green onions right at the end – for great flavor and freshness.
Step-by-Step Directions
- Defrost pollock roe and milt if they are frozen. It doesn’t have to be completely thawed and you can still cut the milt pretty easily even when it’s partly frozen. You can either leave the milt in big pieces or rough chop like I did here.
Cod Milt (left) and Pollock Roe (right) sacs for Stew (Al Tang) It’s up to you. I find that chopping it up is better if you have some people who could be a little put off by the looks of it.
- Anchovy Stock : Add a handful of dried anchovies (large ones for soup 국물용 멸치 Gukmulyong Myeolchi) and a piece of kelp to a pot of water. Simmer (do not boil) for 30 min. Remove kelp and anchovies. Set aside until you are ready to make the stew. See my Tips page for more details on how to make anchovy stock.
- Prepare vegetables: Peel and cut radish into squares, cut zucchini, onions, green onions, tofu, red chili pepper (optional) and garlic (2-3 cloves) as in the picture. Also chop garlic and ginger finely.
Vegetable Ingredients For Pollock Roe Stew (Al Tang) - Make seasoning sauce: in a small bowl, add gochujang, gochukaru (red chili powder), guk ganjang (soup soy sauce), sake, ginger, garlic, garlic powder and salt.
Seasoning Sauce For pollock roe Stew Al Tang - Put it all together : Bring anchovy stock to a boil on medium high heat from 1 (with anchovies and kelp discarded). Add paste from 4 to stock. Stir.
Spicy Pollock Roe Stew (Al Tang) Cooking Process - Add onions and radish to pot. Wait until it starts to boil. 3-4 minutes.
- Then add the milt and roe. Let it cook for 5-6 minutes or so or until the roe sack starts to look cooked (solid vs translucent color).
- OPTIONALLY cut roe into smaller pieces. Reduce heat to simmer (so you can see..haha) and then take out each roe sack and cut them into 2-3 pieces with scissors. See in pic #3, how it is still raw in the middle but cutting the roe when they are partially cooked on the outside prevents the individual eggs from pouring out onto the stew. You can bypass this step and just leave the roe whole and let your guests cut it as they eat it.
- Raise the heat back up to medium high. Add all vegetables and tofu except for chili and garlic. Cook for another 4-5 minutes until zucchini is cooked. Add fresh green onions, red chili and garlic at the end right before turning the heat off. Garnish with some fresh aromatic veggies like ssukat or minari to add brightness to the stew.
- Serve with some rice, some vegetable banchan and you should be good!
Al Tang – Spicy Pollock Roe Stew
I don’t have a full video of the cooking process but I do have a quick one to show – the stew in action – boiling and bubbling, the best part!! Just scroll down to see the video in my recipe card.
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Spicy Pollock Roe Stew (Al Tang)
Ingredients
Anchovy Stock
- 4 1/2 cup water
- 15 g dried anchovies (for soups) (Gukmul Myeolchi 국물용 멸치 15 g = 1/3 cup)
- 1 piece dried kelp (aka Kombu)
Stew Ingredients
- 1 lb pollock roe (Myeongtae Al 명태알)
- 4 oz pollock or cod milt (Iri 이리)
- 1 cup Korean radish or Daikon (cut into thick squares)
- 1/2 each onion (cut into squares)
- 1 cup zucchini (sliced)
- 7 oz extra firm tofu (7 oz = 1/2 pack)
- 2 each green onions (sliced)
- 1 each red chili pepper (sliced)
- 3 each garlic cloves (sliced)
Seasoning Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Gochujang (Korean Red Chili paste)
- 1 Tbsp Korean Red Chili powder
- 1 Tbsp Guk Ganjang (Korean Soup Soy Sauce)
- 1 Tbsp Cooking Sake
- 1 tsp garlic (chopped)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ginger (chopped)
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Thaw pollock roe and milt if frozen. It doesn't have to be completely thawed and you can still cut the milt pretty easily even when it's partly frozen. You can either leave the milt in big pieces or rough chop like I did here. It's up to you. I find that chopping it up is better if you have some people who could be a little put off by the looks of it.
Make Anchovy Stock
- Add a handful of dried anchovies (large ones for soup 국물용 멸치 Gukmulyong Myeolchi) and a piece of kelp to a pot of water. Simmer (do not boil) for 20 min. Remove kelp and anchovies. Set aside until you are ready to make the stew.
Prepare Vegetables
- Cut radish, zucchini, onions, green onions, tofu, red chili pepper (optional), garlic (2-3 cloves). Also chop fine - garlic and ginger.
Make Seasoning Sauce
- In a small bowl, add gochujang, gochukaru (red chili powder), guk ganjang (soup soy sauce), sake, ginger, garlic, garlic powder and salt.
Put it altogether!
- Bring anchovy stock to a boil on medium high heat (with anchovies and kelp discarded). Add seasoning sauce to stock and stir.
- Add onions and radish to pot. Wait until it starts to boil, about 3-4 minutes.
- Then add the milt and roe. Let it cook for 5-6 minutes or so or until the roe sack looks cooked (solid vs translucent color).
- OPTIONALLY cut roe into smaller pieces. Reduce heat to simmer (so you can see..haha) and then take out each roe sack and cut them into 2-3 pieces with scissors. See how it is still raw in the middle but cutting the roe when they are partially cooked on the outside prevents the individual eggs from pouring out onto the stew. You can bypass this step and just leave the roe whole and let your guests cut it as they eat it.
- Raise the heat back up to medium high. Add all vegetables and tofu. Top it off with garlic and chilis. Cook for another 4-5 minutes until zucchini is cooked. Top it off with some fresh aromatic veggies like ssukat or minari if you have some. I didn't so I just added some fresh green onions at the end right before serving.
Serve with some rice, some vegetable banchan and you should be good!
Tips & Notes:
- Substitutes - if Pollock Roe is not available, you can try Cod Roe or some other fish roe. Just make sure it's not salted or seasoned.
- Do NOT cut the roe into pieces before cooking because all the eggs will all disperse throughout the stew. Leave the roe sac whole or cut it with scissors AFTER the outside has been cooked a little bit.
- Use anchovy stock or fish stock for the broth. This makes the stew extra flavorful.
- Time saving tip - Make anchovy stock ahead of time and keep in fridge to use for this and other soups or stews.
- Add Milt (Iri) - fish milt adds great richness to your stew and makes it taste even better. Try adding it to your stew but is optional.
- Add fresh ssukat (Chrysanthemum leaves) or minari (water dropwort) and green onions right at the end - for great flavor and freshness.
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