Korean Dried Anchovy Guide: How to Use Myeolchi in Korean Cooking

Myeolchi (멸치) — dried anchovies — are to Korean cooking what katsuobushi is to Japanese cooking: the foundation of the stock that underlies hundreds of dishes. Almost every Korean soup and stew starts with myeolchi broth (myeolchi yuksu, 멸치육수). And one of the most universally eaten Korean banchan is myeolchi bokkeum — sweet-salty stir-fried anchovies with soy sauce, sesame, and sometimes nuts.

Myeolchi is inexpensive, keeps for months, and makes Korean cooking dramatically better. It is a non-negotiable pantry ingredient for anyone cooking Korean food seriously.

Sizes and Uses

Korean dried anchovies come in several sizes, each suited to different applications:

Large (대멸, daemyeol): 7-10cm+ length. Used for stock-making. The largest anchovies produce the most robust, full-flavored broth. These are too large and strong for direct eating.

Medium (중멸, jungmyeol): 4-7cm length. Used for both stock (lighter than daemyeol) and, when the gut is removed, for banchan.

Small (소멸, somyeol or 잔멸치, janmyeolchi): 2-4cm length. Primarily for banchan (myeolchi bokkeum). The small size means they cook quickly and become fully edible — bones, head, everything — when properly stir-fried. Small anchovies don't need gut removal.

Baby anchovies (잔멸치, janmyeolchi): Under 2cm. The tenderest, mildest, and most suitable for direct eating. Often eaten with rice without further cooking.

Making Anchovy Stock (Myeolchi Yuksu)

Myeolchi stock is the standard liquid base for most Korean jjigae and soups. It provides a clean, savory, slightly oceanic flavor that is not as assertive as fish stock but more complex than plain water or chicken stock.

Ingredients:

15-20 large dried anchovies (daemyeol)
1 piece kombu (dasima, 다시마, 10cm x 10cm)
1 liter cold water
Optional aromatics: dried shiitake mushroom, dried radish, green onion roots

Preparation:

Gut removal: Large anchovies for stock should have the gut (black tract along the belly) and head removed before cooking. The gut adds a strong bitterness that dominates the stock. Open the belly, pull out the dark digestive tract. Heads can remain for flavor but are sometimes removed.

Toast lightly (optional): Pan-roast the cleaned anchovies in a dry skillet over medium heat, 2-3 minutes, until slightly fragrant. This step removes some of the "fishy" edge and adds a subtle roasted note. Not mandatory but improves the stock.

Method:

Combine cleaned anchovies and kombu in cold water
Bring to a medium simmer — not a full boil
Simmer 15-20 minutes, skimming any foam
Remove anchovies and kombu (both can be discarded or repurposed)
Strain if desired

The resulting stock is clear to pale amber, with a clean savory ocean character. It can be refrigerated 3-4 days or frozen for months.

Quick stock shortcut: Steep anchovies and kombu in cold water for 30 minutes without heating — produces a lighter but usable stock.

Myeolchi Bokkeum (멸치볶음) — Stir-Fried Anchovy Banchan

One of the most universally eaten Korean banchan — present at restaurant tables, in lunchboxes, and in homes across Korea. Small dried anchovies stir-fried with soy sauce, sesame oil, honey or sugar, and sometimes garlic or nuts.

Ingredients (serves 4 as banchan):

100g small dried anchovies (janmyeolchi), heads removed if desired
1 tablespoon neutral oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey or corn syrup (mullyeot)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Optional: sliced dried chili, peanuts or almonds

Method:

Dry-toast the anchovies: In a dry pan over medium heat, stir-fry the anchovies without oil for 2-3 minutes until they lose their raw, slightly unpleasant smell and become crispy. Remove from pan.
Make the sauce: Mix soy sauce, honey, and sugar. Do not add sesame oil yet (it burns at high heat).
Cook the sauce: Add neutral oil to the pan over medium heat. Pour in the sauce mixture. It will bubble immediately. Let it reduce for 30-40 seconds until slightly thickened and sticky.
Add anchovies: Remove from heat or lower to very low. Add toasted anchovies and toss quickly to coat in the sauce. The residual heat is sufficient — overcooking makes them tough.
Finish: Add sesame oil and sesame seeds. Toss. Add nuts if using.

The texture goal: Each anchovy should be individually glazed, slightly sticky, crispy but not hard. The sauce should be just enough to coat, not pool at the bottom.

Keeps: Myeolchi bokkeum stores well refrigerated for 1-2 weeks. It keeps without refrigeration for 1-2 days (traditional banchan storage).

Flavored Variations

Spicy myeolchi bokkeum: Add 1 tablespoon gochujang or gochugaru to the sauce.

Nut myeolchi bokkeum: Add peanuts or almonds in the last minute of cooking — common in school lunch banchan.

Mild (for children): Omit chili; use more honey for a sweeter, milder version.

Eomjeot (어젓) — Fermented Anchovy Sauce

Eomjeot (also written aekjeot, 액젓) is fermented fish sauce made from anchovies or squid. It is one of the key ingredients in kimchi — the saeujeot (fermented shrimp) and aekjeot (fish sauce) combination provides the base protein and umami for kimchi fermentation.

Two main varieties:

Myeolchi-aekjeot (멸치액젓): Anchovy fish sauce. Dark brown, intensely savory, strongly flavored. Standard in most kimchi recipes and as a seasoning in soups.
Kkanari-aekjeot (까나리액젓): Sand lance fish sauce. Lighter, less assertive than myeolchi-aekjeot. Often preferred in white kimchi (baek kimchi) or for those who want less intensity.

In cooking: Used like fish sauce generally — small amounts to season soups, stews, and kimchi. A teaspoon in doenjang jjigae adds significant umami depth. In kimchi, it's a fermentation ingredient as well as a flavoring.

Storage: Refrigerate after opening. Keeps very long — the high salt content is a natural preservative. Some fermented fish sauces are improved with age.

Buying Myeolchi

At Korean grocery stores: Available in small bags (for home use) to bulk bags. Look for dry, clean-smelling anchovies with no visible moisture or clumping (moisture indicates poor storage).

Color: Should be gray-silver to slightly golden. Brown or discolored anchovies are old.

Smell: Clean, salty, oceanic. Not ammonia-sharp or overpoweringly "fishy."

Brands: Haechandle and Chungjungone produce reliable anchovy stocks in liquid or powder form for convenience. Fresh-dried myeolchi from specialty Korean markets is better for stock.

Storage

Myeolchi should be stored in a sealed container away from moisture. They keep in a cool, dry pantry for 2-3 months; refrigeration extends this to 6-12 months. Freezing is possible for up to 1-2 years.

Signs of bad myeolchi: visible moisture or mold, ammonia smell, unusual discoloration.

Myeolchi is inexpensive and functionally irreplaceable in Korean home cooking. The stock it produces in 20 minutes provides the foundation for jjigae, soups, and namul dressings that would otherwise taste flat by comparison. If you cook Korean food even occasionally, keeping a bag of large anchovies for stock and a bag of small anchovies for banchan is one of the highest-value pantry decisions you can make.

The full recipes live in the book.

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