Tender fish cakes stir fried in a sweet and savoury sesame sauce with green onions and bell peppers. This quick and easy Korean fish cake stir-fry is ready in 10 minutes! A great Korean side dish that is packed with flavor!
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Korean Fish Cake Stir-Fry (aka "Eomuk Bokkeum" in Korean) features bouncy fish cakes, red bell pepper, green onions stir fried in a savory sauce with a hint of sweetness and sesame.
What are fish cakes? Fish cakes are essentially minced seafood combined with starch and other seasonings. They're commonly used in Asian cuisine as a source of protein.
This Korean side dish (or "banchan" in Korean) is usually served cold or at room temperature at Korean restaurants or at Korean BBQ as a complimentary side dish.
It's usually made in advance in a big batch and stored in an airtight container in the fridge, like many other banchans.
The best part about this easy fish cake recipe is you can make it in advance for meal prep and when you want to enjoy it, you can have it cold with steamed rice or reheat it in the microwave in seconds.
Some versions can be spicy with the addition of gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) but my version is not making it inclusive for adults and kids!
Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite side to eat because I love the umami taste of the chewy fish cake in that sweet sesame sauce.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Fish Cake Sheets: these are tan colored spongy flat sheets made of minced seafood combined with starch and seasoning. Korean grocery stores or select Asian markets will sell them in the refrigerated section or in the freezer section. Or substitute with thinly sliced fried fish balls as a last resort.
- Green Onions: or substitute with ¼ onion thinly sliced.
- Red Bell Pepper: or substitute with yellow, orange or green bell pepper. You could also substitute with julienned carrots.
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil that has a low smoke point.
- Sesame Seeds: for garnishing. If you're allergic to sesame, please omit.
Sauce
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- Mirin: a popular sweet rice cooking wine used in Japanese cuisine sold at most Asian or Japanese grocers. Or substitute with non-alcoholic mirin or 1.5 tablespoon cold water + 1 drop of rice vinegar + ⅛ teaspoon white sugar.
- White Granulated Sugar
- Sesame Oil: for that nutty flavor. Or substitute with sesame seeds. If you're allergic to sesame, please omit.
Note: Most Korean or Asian grocers will carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select grocery store or online, like on Amazon.
Expert Tips
- Slice the fishcakes into ¾-inch wide strips and cut them again into half so they're quicker to cook and easier to eat.
- Pre-mix the sauce in advance as the cooking process is fast!
- Do not overcook the green onions and bell peppers because you want the bell peppers to still be a bit crisp.
- Let the fish cakes cook until they're golden brown for extra flavor!
- If the sauce bubbles, that's totally normal. Allow the bubbles to simmer out and soak into the fish cakes.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make Korean fish cake stir-fry:
- First slice fish cake sheets horizontally into ¾-inch stripes. Then slice the stripes into half.
- Then in a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients as listed above and set aside.
- Next heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium heat. Fry chopped green onions and red bell pepper for 1 minute until softened.
- Then add sliced fish cakes and cook for 4 minutes until golden brown.
- Pour the sauce over the fish cakes and mix well. Cook for about 30 seconds. Remove off heat.
- Lastly, garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat or you can enjoy it cold from the fridge.
- Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing Korean fish cake stir-fry because the vegetables will become mushy.
Pairing Suggestions
Korean fish cake stir-fry serves well with:
- steamed rice, brown rice or cauliflower rice for a lower calorie intake
- kimchi
- Korean cucumber salad
- beansprout salad
- zucchini fritters
- gamja jorim
- Korean spinach
- japchae
- gyeran mari
FAQ
Korean fish cake stir-fry can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat or enjoyed cold from the fridge.
To make Korean fish cake stir-fry spicy, mix in ½ teaspoon of red pepper powder (aka gochugaru) and 1-2 teaspoon of gochujang to the sauce.
The fish cakes can be substituted with thinly sliced extra firm tofu.
Yes, feel free to add carrots, mushrooms, or other vegetables with low water content.
📖 Recipe
Easy 10-min. Korean Fish Cake Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- 14.1 oz Korean fish cake sheets (or sub with thinly sliced fried fish balls)
- 2 green onions sliced into 1 inch long pieces
- ½ bell pepper julienned (or substitute with carrots)
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- ¼ teaspoon sesame seeds for garnishing
Sauce
- 1.5 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 1.5 tablespoon mirin
- 1.5 tablespoon white granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Instructions
- First slice fish cake sheets horizontally into ¾-inch stripes. Then slice the stripes into half.
- Then in a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients as listed above and set aside.
- Next heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium heat. Fry chopped green onions and red bell pepper for 1 minute until softened.
- Then add sliced fish cakes and cook for 4 minutes until golden brown.
- Pour the sauce over the fish cakes and mix well. Cook for about 30 seconds. Remove off heat.
- Lastly, garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy!
Heidi
Lovely! Personally I would opt for a bit less sugar (at the end I squeezed some lemon juice over - worked well) plus would opt for more veg. I put the fish cakes in some hot water for a little while prior to cooking. Overall, a great success!
christieathome
Awesome, thanks for making my recipe Heidi! Glad you enjoyed it. Feel free to reduce the sugar level and add more veggies to your liking.