Chef Esther Choi Debuts Kimchi Seafood Pot Recipe

Two pounds of mussels anchor the new seafood dish released by chef Esther Choi. The recipe, titled Kimchi Seafood Pot, features cockles, jumbo shrimp, and bay scallops simmered in a tomato-based sauce. Choi describes the preparation as a Korean cioppino, blending seafood in tomato sauce with kimchi and fish sauce. The recipe appears in her cookbook, Hand Taste: Cook Like a Korean Grandmother, which is now available.

Choi stated that the dish became a family favorite after a single informal meal. "I made it for her once just for fun, and now she asks me to make it all the time," the chef said. The recipe is part of a specific culinary style Choi calls her Korean Italian American repertoire. Other dishes in the book include Kimchi Bolognese and Kimchi Mac and Beef.

The sauce base requires 3 cups of tomato passata, which Choi prefers over chunky canned tomatoes for its smooth texture. If passata is unavailable, the instructions direct cooks to puree canned tomatoes. The mixture also includes 1/2 cup of chopped kimchi, 1 tablespoon of gochujang, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. The seafood is cooked in a large Dutch oven or pot.

Preparation begins with cleaning the shellfish. Mussels require scrubbing and the removal of beards, while cockles are soaked in a flour and salt solution for 10 to 15 minutes to remove grit. Shrimp are deveined but left in their shells, and large scallops are halved to ensure even cooking.

The cooking process starts with sautéing diced carrots, shallots, and celery in vegetable oil. Garlic, scallion whites, and parsley are added to the pot, followed by kimchi and gochujang. White wine is poured in and reduced by half before the tomato passata and fish sauce are stirred in.

Mussels and cockles enter the pot first and cook for about 5 minutes until they open. Shrimp and scallops are added for the final 2 to 3 minutes of cooking. The dish is finished with grated lemon zest and juice, garnished with scallion greens and parsley, and served with crusty bread.

Choi is the author of Hand Taste and co-host of the Food Network program 24 in 24. She also hosts Heat Eaters for First We Feast. The chef owns Mokbar, with locations in New York City and Las Vegas, and Ms. Yoo, a gastropub in Manhattan. She lives in New York City with her husband and son.