Bass: A summer delicacy

A delicacy of the world, a taste that fascinated the King of the Underworld, a bear’s gall bladder of the sea…

Few summer delicacies would have as many stories as bass with many stories, proverbs, and nicknames. In other words, bass is a rich repository of storytelling. A story in Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province has it that the King of the Underworld returned a dead man who had not ever tried a raw bass back to this world to have him taste it. Generally, yellow corvina represents spring, bass summer, hairtail autumn and frozen pollack winter. This is why the Fisheries Research and Development Institute in South Jeolla Province designated bass as a wellness marine product for July.

○ Fat levels peak in summer

Bass is caught in the western and southern coast. The Wando area is a main producer in South Jeolla Province. Bass caught at sea is twice more expensive than farmed one. A three-kilogram bass costs 100,000 won (89.4 U.S. dollars) and a five-kilogram bass 170,000 won (151.9 dollars). Bass caught at sea is less dark and well-shaped. Their tail fins are soft and a bit long. As bass farming is getting increased, people often misunderstand that bass can be caught in four seasons. Bass caught at sea tastes best in July and August because unsaturated fat levels in these months are more than twice higher than in other months. They go to the deep sea in winter and return to the shore around early summer. After eating up anchovies, Japanese needlefish and gobiida, bass gets fat after the middle of July. It is harder to catch bass after summer as a Japanese saying goes that bass runs away to the deep sea being surprised at autumn thunders. Kang Chung-won, 51, chief of Seojung fishing village in Gangjin, South Jeolla Province, said, “Bass get thinner, become less tasty, and smell different, as autumn passes.”

Adult bass tastes better than baby bass. The fish gets the name “bass” when it is longer than 40 centimeters. Baby basses are called Kkalttagu (Suncheon in South Jeolla Province), Jeolltteogi (Wando in South Jeolla Province) and Kkajimegi (in Gyeongsang provinces including Busan).

○ Fish that was introduced in the Korean traditional medical encyclopedia

Bass is a well-proportioned fish with a streamlined and elastic shape. A raw bass is best. It is plain and chewy whether it is sliced thin or thick. Ahn Yoo-seong, 40, owner of “Game,” a Japanese restaurant in Gwangju, says, “A bass lacks vitamin C that helps the absorption of iron, so it is good to have it with vitamin C-rich vegetables like radish shreds or sprinkle lemon on it.”

Bass’s gall bladder is called the gall bladder of the sea. An alcohol based on bass’ gall bladders rarely make people drunk and are often used as hangover relief. The Korean traditional medicine takes bass as a food that makes the five viscera healthy. “Dongeuibogam,” a Korean traditional medical encyclopedia written by oriental medical practitioner Heo Jun, says, “Bass protects the five viscera and makes intestines and the stomach smooth and tendons and bones strong.”

Bass is often steamed or made into a soup. A clear bass soup is good with vegetables in summer when people are likely to lose their energy. One can boil a fresh bass, napa cabbage, tofu and clams in a kelp soup. In case of a small bass, one can remove the scalps and internal organs and sprinkle a grain of salt and then roast it after wrapping it with wet Korean traditional paper. This can prevent it from burning its skin rich with vitamin D and minimizes the destruction of nutrients.