What is Jwipo? Learn about popular Korean dried fish snack!
When I was a child I adored Jwipo / Juipo (쥐포) so much. It was my favourite snack in the world!
Jwipo is a Korean fish jerky made out of filefish. Once there was a rumor about filefishes that they are nearly extinct in Korea because of the massive consumption of Jwipo by Korean people. I have no idea if that is true or not.
Grilled Jwipo is sold on the street occasionally nowadays but it also used be sold at cinema snack bars as well.
There was an episode when I went to see “Jurassic Park” with my friend. I found that the snack bar was selling some grilled Jwipo, so I bought one just before the movie started. However, as I was finishing the one I had in my hand, I wanted to have some more. I ended up continually going backwards and forwards to get more Jwipo during the whole movie.
I think I nearly ate about 10 or more of them (Thankfully, it was my second time watching the movie, so I knew the storyline.) Though, it felt like I went to the cinema to eat those Jwipos instead of watching the movie, yet since then I don’t have any memories of eating them.
Then, the other day, I read an article about jwipo and that reminded of me how I fell in love with it at one time. So when I went grocery shopping the next day and I instantly grabbed it.
The packet I bought only had 4 disks of Jwipo but it was extra big size for 3300 won (US $ 3.50)
I just grilled them on a gas burner over medium heat. It was slightly salty and sweet, but fishy. It also was quite chewy. My jaw got sore a bit later. Overall, it wasn’t as delicious as I remembered but it was still a good snack.
Later I looked at the back of the packet and there were a couple of cooking methods recommended by the manufacturer.
How to Cook Jwipo
Option 1. Season with spicy sauce. (Click here for my jwipo recipe!)
Option 2. Season with soy sauce. (Click here for my recipe!)
Option 3. Grill in a frying pan with some butter
Option 4. Microwave to warm it up and serve with some gochujang (Korean chili paste) and / or mayonnaise as a dipping sauce – This method is also a popular way to serve at a drink bar in Korea.
Tell me what’s your preferred method below. 🙂 I hope you try it soon!
At my local H Mart before covid, there was a lady who’d give out little samples of the various dried fish, and she had Jwipo cut in small pieces so I’m enjoying some now, cut in small pieces. I want to try toasting it over a flame though.
When I was a kid in Hawaii there used to always be filefish swimming around. It was one type of fish no one ever caught because no one wanted to eat them. But as Jwipo, they are pretty good!
I got a package of Korean dried fish a while ago, not sure what to do with it, but today I found your recipe, and tried, it is so good, remind me some kind of dried fish I had when I was little. Love it.
Great! 🙂
I’m the product of a Korean mom and German dad, but raised canadian. My husband is british and my 5 year old and 2 year old kids are the pickiest eaters ever and they go nuts over Jwipo! They’ll eat it for breakfast and my daughter even insists on bringing it to school for lunch, though I try my best to encourage her to bring something else as I find the smell to be quite fishy and can imagine all the other kids would too, but she doesn’t care. Since she doesn’t eat much, I’ll have her eat it for the protein, despite the smell. I don’t get it! 😉
Your daughter sounds so adorable!But I hope she gets to love other healthy food too. 🙂
I just found some mini jwipo and it was amazing. It had sesame seeds on it also. I would have eaten the whole bag if the salt count wasn’t so high on it. Hmmm!!!
My company make DRIED SEASONED FILEFISH. If who’s need , maybe email for me. Thanks you
where can i buy this on line?
I am interested in your dried seasoned filefish(jwipo). I intend to grill it at my food stall and sell it as freshly baked jwipo. Please indicate manufacturer’s price and minimum order quantity via return email.
Thanks
Frankie Ang
Hello,
I am researching an article on international cinema snacks and I just came across your great blog. I was wondering if you could email me any more info or if we could use your excellent pictures.
Please let me know on sonya.barber@redwoodgroup.net
Thanks so much
Sonya
I love jwipo , but hubby can’t stand it. My daughter also likes it, but it is soo chewy. I’ll have to try the toaster oven version next time. There is a fish snack I have been looking for but can’t find anywhere. Someone gave me some they had made and it was kind of like jwipo, but not. It was flakier, it was not as sweet, but more salty. I can’t remember what it was called. It was a fairly common snack and popular with kids.
I’m from New Zealand, by the way, a country that loves seafood. However, the dried seafood is usually sold in pet shops. It’s cat food!!!
Meow!
This stuff really stinks. Mind you, I have to hold my breath when I walk through the dried fish section at the supermarket.
fortunately i was able to eat my jwipo and he didn’t wake up. last time he said he couldn’t go 2 sleep becuz of the smell. good luck in austrailia. korean/australian fusion might be interesting, kangaroo kalbi perhaps? 😉
I was just going through this post today (for some reason it became one of the most read posts) and I realised that I recently prepared a Kangaroo meat recipe. It’s actually Kangaroo bulgogi. 😀
https://mykoreankitchen.com/2013/01/26/kangaroo-meat-bulgogi-bbq/
Let me know what you think. It was very delicious by the way.
bionicgrrl,
Gees, well I am sure there are some things that smell worse than Jwipo. 🙂
Were you successful eating them while he was sleeping?
BuddingCook,
really? I thought only Koreans would eat those. Good to know, thanks
yums. we eat this too i think. 🙂
my boyfriend begs me not to eat it whenever i have the urge. you would think he’s joking, but he’s not. i think he considers it the smelliest food in the world! i’ve tried eating it when he’s not home, but he always smells it as soon as he steps into the apt. after reading your post though i had to eat some. luckily he’s sleeping, hehehe.
Kirk, Is the smell really bad? 🙂
meyeonee, That is a good idea. Oven grilling would cook Jwipo evenly.
Equinox, I think charcoal grilled Jwipo would taste better too, but thinking about the effort, I don’t know if I want to do that. 🙂
tellos,
How did you find Australia so far? 🙂
Well, I will see how I feel about Australia soon.
Cheers.
…ok nothing to do with this topic, but you said you will go to australia, and that you are worried that you cannot find korean ingredient for your cooking.
so i can tell you, i just arrived in perth. and there is at least 3 korean groceries, a lot of korean restaurent.. so don’t worry. i even heard that in other cities, there is korean villages!!!!
hehe that’s it… just to tell you..
also, fish filefish… not my favorit….:-( but my girlfriend loves it… the squide too…
If charcoal is used to grill Jwipo, I think it will probably taste better. But the effort to set up the charcoal flame may be too much work to just eat a snack.
i stick mine in the toaster oven @ 400F and wait til it starts to bubble a lil bit…makes it sweeter…don’t keep it in too long after that or it will taste burnt.
My mom used to get this all the time when I was little. I haven’t had it in a long time, so I don’t know if I still like it.
The Missus loves this, though I can always tell when she’s eaten some…..