Agujjim

This spicy South Korean dish is traditionally prepared with monkfish or angler. The traditional Masan-style version is made by drying the fish and then steaming it with gochugaru chili flakes and doenjang soybean paste. Other versions available throughout the country are usually braised with the spicy sauce, and both types are traditionally accompanied by bean sprouts, minari (water dropwort), sea squirt (mideodeok), or shrimps. It is believed that the dish was created sometime in the 1940s at a Masan fish market in Changwon. Since monkfish and angler have somewhat of an ugly appearance, the species were largely ignored by the fishmongers and the general public. Nowadays, the fish is considered a delicacy because of its firm but tender flesh, and it usually comes with a high price tag. Agujjim is typically served as a communal dish with rice on the side, but it is occasionally enjoyed as anju—a type of dishes served on small plates which are paired with alcoholic drinks.