Cold Jellyfish Salad (Haepari-naengchae)

This cold, garlicky, sweet-and-sour delicacy is a Korean-style Chinese dish. I always make it when I’m celebrating something special. It’s one of the most popular dishes at Korean buffets, and whenever I go to one, I reserve a large corner of my plate for it. Shredded salted jellyfish is easy to work with. Just soak it, blanch, and then soak again to plump it up and remove excess salt. At Chinese markets, you can buy salted jellyfish that hasn’t been preshredded. It looks like a folded sheet of thin, light brown paper. This type of jellyfish will take longer to soften, but it is much cheaper and crispier than presoaked and shredded jellyfish. After rinsing, soaking, and blanching, soak it in cold water for several hours to 1 day, changing the water occasionally. When it is soft and no longer salty, cut it into matchsticks and it is ready to use.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (2.2-pound) package shredded salted jellyfish (haepari)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon distilled white or apple cider vinegar
• Vegetable oil
• 5 ounces crab sticks (ge-massal)
• 3 cups water
• 1 large Asian pear, or 2 Bosc pears
• 1 English cucumber, cut into 3-inch-long matchsticks
• Korean Egg Garnish
• Mustard and Garlic Sauce
• Pine nuts for garnish (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Rinse the salted jellyfish strips under cold running water to remove some of the salt. Soak in a large bowl of cold water for 1 hour. Drain.
2. Bring 7 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Remove from the heat and add 2 cups cold water to the pot to lower the water temperature slightly. Add the jellyfish and stir for 10 seconds. Drain. Soak the jellyfish in a fresh bowl of cold water for another hour to plump it up.
3. Drain the jellyfish again and squeeze out excess water. Put it in a clean bowl, add 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the salt, and vinegar, and mix well. Cover and refrigerate.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add a few drops of vegetable oil and then the crab sticks and cook, turning once, for 1 minute. (Alternatively, you can microwave the crab sticks on high for 1 minute, or steam them for a few minutes to heat them through.) Let cool slightly and then pull each crab stick into thin strips.
5. Dissolve the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in the 3 cups water. Peel and core the pear and cut into matchsticks, adding them to the sugar water as you go (this will prevent the pear from turning brown). Drain.
6. Arrange the crab sticks, pear, cucumber, and egg garnish on a large platter, leaving a space in the center for the jellyfish. Pile the jellyfish in the center like a mountain. Just before serving, pour the sauce over the salad. Sprinkle with pine nuts, if desired, and serve.

VARIATION:

• If you can’t find jellyfish or you want to substitute, use steamed and peeled shrimp, which are tasty with the crab sticks, cucumber, pear, and mustard-garlic sauce. For a vegetarian version, skip the jellyfish and crab sticks and use carrot matchsticks and some extra cucumber and pear instead.