Dried Anchovy

Dried anchovies — known as myeolchi in Korea, niboshi in Japan, and iriko in regional Japanese cooking — are small fish from the Engraulidae family, primarily the species Engraulis japonicus, that have been salted and sun-dried. The heads and viscera are typically removed for the small grade (making them fully edible), while bones remain intact and soften during cooking. These tiny fish are one of the most concentrated and efficient umami delivery systems in any pantry: they contain glutamate for savory depth, inosine for kokumi richness, and calcium from the edible bones — a nutrient bonus that traditional Korean cuisine deliberately preserves rather than discards. Unlike Mediterranean salt-packed anchovy fillets, which are cured in oil and used as a finishing ingredient, dried Asian anchovies are primarily a stock-making and seasoning agent, providing foundational savory backbone rather than overt fishiness.

In Korean cooking, dried anchovies are indispensable: myeolchi gukmul (anchovy stock) is the liquid base for virtually every doenjang jjigae, sundubu jjigae, namul, and most everyday soups. The stock is made quickly — 15 to 20 minutes of simmering only — because longer cooking extracts bitter compounds from any remaining entrails and produces murky, unpleasant results. Japanese niboshi dashi, by contrast, is often soaked in cold water before gentle heating to extract maximum flavor with controlled bitterness, and it serves as the hidden depth in ramen broths, certain noodle soups, and regional stews. The edible bones are not a concern in either tradition; they dissolve slightly into stocks and contribute a subtle mineral quality that round out the flavor.