A super simple recipe to make your own Korean fish cakes at home

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On a January morning on a Busan avenue, briny steam wafts from a stainless steel cart, fogging the vendor’s glasses and enveloping passersby in a marine aroma. Schoolchildren stick wooden skewers into a cup containing an anchovy broth, break off a soft ribbon of fish cake, then warm their hands around it.

For many Koreans, the scene is the “instant equivalent of” a comfort food, as nostalgic as “a jar of grandmother’s kimchi. At the center stands” eomuk: Busan’s artisanal and seafood-rich answer to “Japanese oden. More than” a snack, these golden and elastic cakes have become a civic emblem. Their story: how a port city transformed bycatch into industry, how artisans achieve that characteristic chew from simple fish, and how home cooks perpetuate the tradition, offers a vivid window into Busan’s resilient palate.

Jjimdak - header — They are perfect mixed into jjimdak

Origins of Korean Fish Cake

Eomuk arrived in Korea with Japanese oden during the colonial period, and Busan’s first fish cake factory was established near the Bupyeong market at that time. After the Korean War, waves of refugees flocked to the port city in search of affordable protein; small workshops like Samjin (founded in 1953) and Donggwang rose to the challenge: they ground pollock with salt and starch before frying this paste to make an easily transportable food.

Cantonese fried rice — Or instead of ham in Cantonese rice

The idea, however, was not entirely foreign. An 18th-century royal banquet register mentions saengseon-sukpyeon, a molded delicacy made from minced fish, suggesting pre-modern Korean roots.

By the late 20th century, Busan’s frying artisans had set the national standard: today, over 95% of Korean fish cakes are fried, a method popularized by manufacturers in the port city. Tourists queue for tasting tours, and Samjin’s museum displays brass mortars once used to pound fish by hand.

Preparation, Texture, and Authenticity

Quality begins at the grinder. Veterans sprinkle salt on the fillets before the first pulse, allowing proteins to unfold and intertwine into a sticky web. In Yeongdo’s old workshops, this paste is still slapped against steel vats by gloved hands, the rhythmic “poc” aerating and strengthening it. Modern factories rely on refrigerated grinders, but the principle remains: the colder and faster the grind, the bouncier the bite.

miso soup in a red bowl on a dark background — In a good homemade miso soup it’s a pure delight

Shaping allows for creativity. Flat sheets for lunchboxes, accordions skewered on bamboo sticks for street carts, walnut-sized balls for winter soups: each shape undergoes a brief baptism in 170°C oil. The target is what Koreans call “탱글탱글”, an elastic crunch that resists the teeth then yields. Conveyor belts now float the cakes on rivers of oil, but Busan’s small-batch artisans still surpass industrial brands in this decisive chew.

How to Spot Quality when Buying Eomuks?

Turn the package over: a fish cake worthy of the name displays at least 70% seafood, little starch, and little or no added glutamate. Hold it up to the light: a quality eomuk shows a dense, fine crumb with very few air bubbles and only a golden halo on the edges. Bite into it: it should bounce back like al dente pasta, not crumble like bread.

Also be wary of marketing superlatives: “Busan” plastered on a package means nothing without a high percentage of fish or a lineage like Samjin or Hyosung.

The Main Ingredients of Korean Fish Cakes

Ingredients for Homemade Korean Eomuk — It’s far from being the recipe requiring the most exotic ingredients

Fish: Cod is generally the most affordable option, but any white fish will do

Shaoxing Wine: Chinese rice wine often used in Asian cuisine, it adds depth and helps mitigate strong odors from fish and seafood.

Potato Starch: Light starch used here to bind the dough and make the croquettes soft.

Perilla Leaves: Also called shiso, they have a fresh, slightly minty taste that enhances the seafood mixture.