In the Kitchen

It is so hard to NOT have a snack when you return home from a night of drinking with friends when you have fresh mackerel in the fridge.

In Korea mackerel is a relatively cheap fish--a 300 gram serving costs about KRW2500 (US$2).

20 minutes, serves one.

After removing the pinbones (c'mon it only cost two bucks, what did you expect?) sprinkle blackening spices over the fish.

Crack an egg into a blender, have a clove of garlic and some olive oil--oh well, you know how to make aioli. Just make sure you toss some capers in there afterwards.

Toast some bread.

Heat a pan and put the fish in skin side down.

Melt some mozzarella on to your toast.

Flip the fish.

Dress the cheese toast with the caper aioli.

Flop the fish onto the toast.

Eat.

Sleep.

I spent the last weekend in the house, didn't leave once except to buy cigarettes, ice, and a lightbulb. I had been marinating some ribs in vinegar, olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper when I realized that I had no BBQ sauce in the house. In Korea, you usually buy BBQ sauce because of either the lack of molasses or the high price of honey. Now, I know where to buy molasses, but I didn't (what will I use the molasses for?) but I remembered that I had honey in the house. Last semester on Teacher's Day, the students gave all of a us five kilos of honey. Keep in mind that a ten ounce bottle of honey is roughly ten bucks and you'll get an idea of why people buy BBQ sauce.

Long story short, cooked the ribs low and slow in the oven, till they were tender enough to come apart but not fall off the bone, about four hours. BBQ sauce was made and no trips to Homeplus were necessary.

Honey Siracha BBQ Sauce