If you've watched enough Jin content, you've probably heard him say it at least once: "I really want mulhoe right now."
He's said it on livestreams. He's said it after concerts β and his managers actually went out and bought him some. He's shown himself eating it on camera more times than fans can count. Jin's love for mulhoe is well-documented, enthusiastic, and completely genuine.
So what is this dish that BTS's eldest member keeps coming back to?
Korea is surrounded by ocean on three sides. Seafood isn't exotic here β it's everyday life. And Koreans don't just eat cooked fish. They eat it raw. A lot.
Raw fish β hoe (ν) β is enormously popular in Korea. The most common types are flatfish (κ΄μ΄) and rockfish (μ°λ), sliced thin and served fresh. Koreans dip raw fish in a variety of sauces: soy sauce with wasabi, makjang (fermented soybean paste with garlic), sesame oil with salt, or chogochujang β a sweet, tangy, spicy red pepper sauce.
Koreans even eat raw beef β yukhoe (μ‘ν) β so raw fish is actually the easier sell. This is a country that's very comfortable with the uncooked.
Mulhoe is essentially what happens when you take the chogochujang dipping tradition and turn it into a full dish.
Mulhoe (λ¬Όν) literally translates to "water raw fish." It's a cold soup built around fresh raw fish and seafood, mixed with vegetables and a sweet-spicy broth. Think of it as a spicy, refreshing, raw seafood bowl β served ice-cold.
The recipe is straightforward. The hard part is sourcing the ingredients, not making the dish:
The seafood: Fresh sliced raw fish β whatever's available. Abalone, squid, and other shellfish are great additions. Place everything in a large bowl.
The vegetables: Shredded cabbage, sliced cucumber, green chili peppers, and scallions. Fresh, crunchy things that can stand up to the cold broth. Perilla leaves and water parsley (λ―Έλ리) are traditional.
The broth: Mix gochujang (red pepper paste), sugar, minced garlic, and sesame seeds into cold water. Some people use iced broth for extra chill. Pour it over the seafood and vegetables.
How to eat it: Scoop up fish, vegetables, and broth together with a spoon. The key is temperature β mulhoe should be painfully cold. That's when it's perfect. The spicy-sweet broth, the fresh bite of raw fish, the crunch of vegetables, all hitting you at ice-cold temperature on a hot day. It's revelatory.
The finale: After you've eaten all the fish, add somyeon (μλ©΄) β thin wheat noodles β to the remaining broth. Or add rice. The leftover broth is too good to waste.
Even people who don't normally enjoy raw fish often love mulhoe. The spicy-sweet seasoning transforms everything. It's a gateway.
Jin's mulhoe obsession is legendary among ARMY. He's eaten it on livestreams, mentioned craving it during conversations, and β perhaps most tellingly β after finishing a concert, when asked what he wanted to eat, he said mulhoe. His managers brought it to him.
When Jin eats mulhoe, he does it properly: fish first, then somyeon noodles in the remaining broth. The full experience. (Jungkook approaches food with a similar all-in energy β his Buldak noodle recipe is another example.)
If you love spicy food and aren't afraid of raw fish, mulhoe might be your new favorite Korean dish. And if Jin trusts it enough to request it after a concert, that's recommendation enough.