[Chosungkwan's World Humanities Journey] Grilled Flounder Before Winter Ends

I have attempted to make butter-grilled flounder three times, but each time ended in failure. Before this winter is over, I want to succeed in making butter-grilled flounder at least once.

Butter-grilled flounder is a French dish known as sole meuniere.

According to a French dictionary, "sole" refers to a type of flounder belonging to the flatfish family. "Meuniere" describes a method of cooking fish or shellfish by coating it in flour and pan-frying it in butter.

French Cuisine: Butter-Grilled Flounder.
[Photo by Wikipedia]

Twice, I bought cleaned flounder from a department store supermarket and tried making butter-grilled flounder. I followed recipes I found online, but the fish stuck to the pan and fell apart, resulting in a mess. The dish was a visual disaster. There was no point in even tasting it.

The main reason for my first two failures was lack of preparation. There were several factors, but I believe the decisive mistake was choosing fresh flounder.

For my third attempt, I bought three half-dried flounders for 10,000 won. When I cooked with half-dried flounder, the fish did not stick to the pan and maintained its shape. However, this time I failed to eliminate the fishy smell.

I enjoy fine dining, but I am not particularly interested in cooking. So why did I attempt sole meuniere? By now, sharp-eyed readers may have guessed the reason: the movie "Julie & Julia," starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. This film is based on two true stories, which unfold in parallel.

Movie poster of Julie and Julia

One story is set in France in 1949, just after World War II. It follows Julia Child, an American living in Paris with her diplomat husband, who learns French cooking and publishes a French cookbook. The other story centers on Julie Powell, a city development agency employee in Manhattan, New York, in 2002. Julie challenges herself to cook her way through Julia's bestselling cookbook and blogs about her trial-and-error experiences, eventually finding success as a writer.

In the opening scenes of this movie, butter-grilled flounder appears. After arriving in France by ship with their car and belongings, the diplomat couple tries sole meuniere at a restaurant for the first time. Anyone who has seen this scene would be inspired to try making butter-grilled flounder themselves. Was it the dish's visual appeal, or Meryl Streep's performance? In any case, this film instilled a longing for French cuisine.

Flounder belongs to the flatfish family, along with halibut and tonguefish. The "bakdae," commonly caught on Korea's west coast, is also a member of this family. The main advantage of flatfish is their high fillet yield. In restaurants in Yeosu, grilled golden threadfin bream is served. Admiral Yi Sun-sin, during his time as the naval commander of the Three Provinces, was known to enjoy this fish, which is delicious but yields little meat.

One trait common among geniuses is that they are gourmets. Geniuses possess keen senses. To maintain such a sharp aesthetic sense, their taste buds must be constantly stimulated.

Among the geniuses I have studied, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe stands out as a true gourmet. Goethe enjoyed both meat and fish without discrimination. What set Goethe apart as a gastronome was his precise understanding of seasonal ingredients. He only ate foods when they were at their peak in flavor and nutrition (though he did not cook them himself). The reason Goethe lived to 82 in the early 19th century-when the average life expectancy was around 50-was his nourishment from seasonal foods and his ever-curious spirit.

The poet Baek Seok was also a gourmet. He published his poetry collection "Deer" on January 20, 1936, as a limited edition of 100 copies at his own expense. The luxurious hardcover sold for 2 won per copy, and it sold out immediately. Contemporary poets and critics such as Kim Kirim and Jung Jiyong praised it highly. "Deer" became the talk of the literary world. Yoon Dongju, a 19-year-old literary youth in Longjing, Manchuria, tried every means to obtain a copy but failed. In the end, Yoon Dongju borrowed the book from a library and painstakingly copied it by hand.

Baek Seok during his study abroad at Aoyama Gakuin University in Japan

Baek Seok became a star overnight. Combined with his handsome appearance, a "Baek Seok syndrome" swept the country. His every move was reported in newspapers and magazines.

After two years as a reporter for the Chosun Ilbo, Baek Seok left the paper and moved to Hamheung in the spring of 1936 to work as an English teacher at Yeongsaeng High School. During his time in Hamheung, he boarded at an elderly woman's house near the school. Baek Seok was known for his impeccable style, often wearing a deep green suit. He spent much of his salary on fashion. Not only was he highly skilled and spoke with near-native pronunciation, but his teaching methods were also outstanding. With his good looks and sharp dress, he was extremely popular among students. Among the female poets in Gyeongseong, Baek Seok's reputation was beyond question. He was the "modern boy" of the Korean literary scene.

At this point, one might wonder about the gastronomic preferences of "modern boy" Baek Seok. While boarding at the elderly woman's house in Unheung-ri near the school, Baek Seok preferred fish and avoided meat. The landlady, mindful of her boarder's tastes, tried not to serve meat dishes.

Baek Seok's favorite dish was grilled flounder. In particular, he loved grilled starry flounder (chamgajami). He enjoyed eating it dipped in gochujang (Korean red chili paste).

During school vacations, Baek Seok would return to Gyeongseong to socialize with friends and fellow writers. When vacation ended, he would go back to Hamheung. As soon as he unpacked at his boarding house, he would head straight to the fish market to look for flounder. Imagine the scene: a renowned poet browsing the fish stalls, carefully selecting starry flounder, then proudly returning home with a string of fish dangling from a straw rope, a smile on his face at the thought of eating grilled starry flounder with gochujang.

Baek Seok during his time as an English teacher at Hamheung Yeongsaeng High School

Baek Seok was not only a poet but also an outstanding translator and essayist. Given his love for grilled flounder, it is only natural that he would have written an ode to it.

At one point, the Chosun Ilbo asked him to write an essay on the theme "My Interests." Baek Seok published an essay titled "Flounder and Donkey" in the September 2, 1936 edition of the Chosun Ilbo.

He wrote: "Now that I live close to the East Sea, I am most familiar with flounder. There are many fish such as halibut, octopus, mackerel, flatfish, and thread-sail filefish, but all of them tire me after just a meal or two. Only the endlessly gentle and friendly flounder, together with white rice and red gochujang, never fails to appear on my poor and lonely table, not even for a single meal."

"The first time, I bought six flounders, each about a handspan long, for ten jeon. After that, the landlady would buy two bundles-forty fish-for twenty-five jeon each, but I preferred the smaller ones, about the size of a hand ..."

"During that time, I left this town for about a month. When I returned and went to the fish market to find my flounder, to my disappointment, they were nowhere to be seen. I was told that my dear fish would not arrive until early August by the lunar calendar. All I could do was wait for that time to come, so that our white rice, gochujang, and flounder could be reunited and bring me joy morning and evening. When the time comes, I plan to buy two bundles for twenty-five jeon and send some to H, who also loves this fish."

< Requoted from "Poet Baek Seok" by Song Jun >

Starry flounder, commonly caught in the northernmost part of the East Coast during winter.
Photo by Baekyear Nongsusan

The older I get, the more I find myself drawn to fish. I don't know why. If I don't eat grilled fish at least once a week, I feel uneasy. There is a kind of ecstasy in placing a piece of golden-brown grilled hairtail on white rice and savoring its tender flesh.

The culinary highlight of my past year was rediscovering the taste of bakdae. As a child, my mother would cook bakdae for me every season in my hometown. After moving to Seoul, I forgot the taste of bakdae for over forty years.

While giving lectures at Gunsan Club, I became reacquainted with bakdae. On one occasion, after I had shared my "bakdae story" before a lecture, two gentlemen-one a former police chief and the other a university president-invited me to a lunch of grilled bakdae. I stared at the beautifully grilled fish for a long time, unable to bring myself to pick it up with my chopsticks. Carefully, I separated the flesh and tasted it. The moment the fish touched the roof of my mouth, memories of childhood blossomed, just like Proust's madeleine.

I have never tried eating grilled flounder dipped in gochujang. Starry flounder is in season during the winter. Before this winter ends, I want to try eating grilled starry flounder with gochujang, just like Baek Seok did. I wonder what it tastes like.