Sempio Braised Dried Pollock in Spicy Sauce (Gochujang)

$6.00

Stir-fried dried Pollock in gochujang is a popular side dish in Korea that is usually served with rice or beer. It has a mildly spicy and slightly sweet flavor and a chewy texture.

50g (1.76 oz) tin

In stock

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Description

Ingredients: dried pollock, polyglycitol syrup, red pepper paste, solbitol syrup, sugar, pumpkin seed, corn oil, garlic, water, red pepper extract, roasted sesame, vegetables seasoning base, lactobacillus fermented powder, soy sauce, oleoresin paprika, yeast extract, black pepper.

The terms “spiced” and “spicy” are used pretty much interchangeably in the tinned fish world, to mean two different things: with a hot pepper (or hot pepper flavor), and with cloves/bay/carrot/hot pepper. There are many examples of both terms being used to mean both things.

We are so frustrated by how widespread this confusing inconsistent usage is that we’ve gone through our entire product line to correct the incorrect ones such that our description of “spiced” or “spicy” will always indicate which it really is, regardless of the packaging. “Spicy” = with hot pepper flavor. “Spiced” = with the cloves/bay/carrot/hot pepper flavors.

Reviews

  1. Hream McDan (verified owner)

    Whoa! Fun tin. Similar flavors to the Old Fisherman Roasted Eel Chili and I mean that in the most complimentary of ways. Comparatively, this seemed a tiny bit spicier … the sauce was a little thicker … and the fish was more jerky-like than the eel (but not dry). Really enjoyed the textural difference in the tin and how the pumpkin seeds kept each bite interesting. On a spice scale, this seems like maybe it would be a mild-to-medium for most folks. For me, the heat was pretty much right what I was hoping for.

    Ate it plain and it was delicious on its own, but it does scream out for a companion ingredient (even if it was only beer as in the description). Can imagine it’d bump my rating up a half step if I’d had it over rice. Perhaps hard to justify this as a regular tin over the similar chili eel that is a few dollars less, but it’s not an exact comparison either, they are separate things. I did like this a little more than the Sempio braised anchovies in soy sauce but the quality is comparable. Overall, pretty fun to try these Sempio tins and I’ll be buying this one again.

  2. Evan Hayes (verified owner)

    If you are on the fence about this can, I recommend giving it a chance. I did not know what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised. The fish had a slight chew to it, which was nice paired with the crunch of the seeds. The sauce was sweet, and mildy spicy. I found myself sopping up the sauce with a slice of bread. Next time I will pair it with some sticky rice.

  3. Devyn Scott (verified owner)

    This was good! It was sticky, sweet, and spicy, with a good crunch from both the pumpkin seeds and the fish itself. I ate it with sticky rice and some kewpie mayo, which elevated it even more!

  4. rmm59 (verified owner)

    WOW! This tin is an explosion of flavor. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the gochujang sauce x tinned fish combo, but this was perfect. The sauce provides a delightful kick, pairing incredibly well with the chewy (almost jerky-like) texture of the pollock, and the crunchy pumpkin seeds. Really enjoyed these with sticky rice, but would purchase again to enjoy as recommended with a beer. One of my favorites so far!

    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

  5. TJ Burke (verified owner)

    I love these. Similar to the dried anchovy banchan you might get a Korean BBQ. Not a ton of fish in the can but the flavor is intense and amazing! And yeah, great with a beer.

  6. josephraa (verified owner)

    This was a very interesting tin. Waaaay sweeter and more syrupy than I typically prefer, but I mean that’s kinda obvious from the ingredients list lol (“slightly sweet” is a horrible understatement). The fish itself had a texture similar to jerky and with the sweet sauce it was like eating candied jerky, which is not necessarily a bad thing. On its own, I didn’t particularly enjoy it as there wasn’t enough salt or heat to offset the sweetness for me. I fixed that pretty easily though by adding some coarse ground sea salt and a few different (very) hot sauces that I felt complemented the overall flavor profile. Once I did that it was much more enjoyable and definitely a more unique experience than I typically get from a tin. Aside from the salt and hot sauce that I mixed in, I consumed this straight from the tin as I didn’t think the jerky-like texture would lend well to eating with rice or noodles like I normally might with a sweeter tin. The other thing that really stood out was the pumpkin seeds; never had those in a tin before, but I really liked them for the textural variation they offered.

  7. eliz (verified owner)

    As someone who could probably live on gochujang, this was a treat. Had it on brown gaba rice; the sticky gochu sauce clung nicely and the fish was chewy without being tough. And the pumpkin seeds! Bravo, Sempio – you just provided me with a lovely Korean lunch in the middle or rural America. Definitely will order again.

  8. fibersides (verified owner)

    These were sweet and spicy. The pollack has been braised before packing, and it has a leathery texture like bacon or jerky. The gochujang provides that sweet and spicy kick that begs for a cold beer to go along with it. The serving size seems small, but you won’t miss anything from this tin. It made for a great light lunch. If you do like gochujang and those Asian flavors, then don’t miss this fun tin on your next order.

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