Facts About Saeu-jeot
Saeu-jeot is a variety of jeotgal, salted and fermented food made with small shrimp in Korean cuisine. It is the most consumed jeotgal along with myeolchijeot in South Korea. The name consists of the two Korean words, saeu and jeot. Saeujeot is widely used throughout Korean cuisine but is mostly used as an ingredient in kimchi and dipping pastes. The shrimp used for making saeujeot are called jeotsaeu and are smaller and have thinner shells than ordinary shrimp.
The quality of saeujeot largely depends on the freshness of the shrimp. In warm weather, fishermen may immediately add salt for preliminary preservation.
Types
The types of saeujeot depend on the kind of shrimp used and when they are harvested.
In spring
Putjeot (풋젓) is made with shrimp harvested from the end of January in lunar calendar through April. It is called deddeugi jeot (데뜨기젓) or dotddegi jeot (돗떼기젓) in the west coast of the South Korea. Ojeot (오젓) is made with shrimp harvested in May.
In summer
Yukjeot (육젓, 六젓, six jeot) is made with shrimp harvested in June and is regarded as the highest quality jeot. It is the saeujeot most preferred for making kimchi because of its richer flavor and bigger shrimp than other saeujeot. The shrimp in Yukjoet have red heads and tails. Chajeot (차젓) is made with shrimp harvested in July.
In fall
Gonjaeng-ijeot (곤쟁이젓) or jahajeot (자하젓, 紫蝦젓) is made with very small shrimp-like Neomysis awatschensis, one of the opossum shrimp family which is called gonjaeng-i or jaha (자하, 紫蝦) in Korean. The shrimp used for it is the smallest among all saeujeot. They are harvested in August and September in small amounts where freshwater mixes with seawater of the abyss of the Yellow Sea. As it ferments, the jeot changes from transparent to light violet or brown in color and becomes soft in texture. Gonjaeng-ijeot is called gogaemijeot (고개미젓) in Jeolla Province. It is a local specialty of Seosan-gun, Chungcheong Province.
Chujeot (추젓) is made with small shrimp harvested in autumn which are smaller and cleaner than the shrimp in yukjeot.
In winter
Dongjeot (동젓, 冬젓) is made with shrimp harvested in November. Dongbaekha (동백하젓 冬白蝦) is made with shrimp harvested in February whose bodies are white and clean.
Other saeujeot
Tohajeot (토하젓, 土蝦젓) is made with toha (토하, 土蝦), small shrimp caught only in clean freshwater of valleys. It is a local specialty of South Jeolla Province. It is also called saengijeot (생이젓).
Jajeot (자젓) is commonly called japjeot (잡젓, literally mixed jeot) which is made with several types of small shrimp without special selection. Daetdaegijeot (댓대기젓) is made with shrimp that have thick, stiff, yellowish shells. It is considered to be the lowest quality saeujeot.
Saeualjŏt (새우알젓) is made with the eggs of medium-sized red shrimp harvested in April. It was presented to the royal court as a local product during the late period of the Joseon dynasty and currently is only produced in Okgu-gun, North Jeolla Province.
North Korea