Crispy Lemon-Pepper Bulgogi with Quick-Pickled Shallots

5 from 2 votes

Crispy Lemon-Pepper Bulgogi with Quick-Pickled Shallots

This week I’ve chosen a book I have been waiting for since I heard Eric Kim was going to be writing it. Korean American: Food that Tastes Like Home is Eric’s first cookbook, but you are most likely already familiar with his voice and recipes from his Table for One column at Food52, or his contributions and videos as a staff food writer at the New York Times.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: Main Course, Dinner

Cuisine: Korean

Servings: people

Author: Gaby Dalkin

Ingredients

Grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon
2 shallots thinly sliced
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon demerara sugar
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound thinly sliced rib eye (or other meat for bulgogi-style dishes; see tip.)
Vegetable oil
1 jalapeño thinly sliced into rings
fresh cilantro leaves plus tender stems lots of it
Cooked white rice for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 170°F.
Evenly spread out the lemon zest on a sheet pan and bake until completely dried out, 20 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the lemon juice and shallots in a small bowl, season with salt, toss, and set aside to quick-pickle.
Add the dried-out lemon zest and the black peppercorns to a spice grinder or mortar/ pestle and grind until coarse. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in 1 teaspoon salt, the demerara sugar, and garlic powder.
Use a paper towel to pat the meat dry and lay it out on a cutting board or sheet pan in a single layer. Season both sides with the lemon pepper.
Heat a large grill pan or skillet until very, very hot (you may see a wisp of smoke rise from the surface) and add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom. Add the bulgogi to the pan in a single layer and cook until crispy and well browned, about 1 minute on the first side and literally a few seconds on the second. You may need to work in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. Transfer to a plate and top with the pickled shallots, jalapeno, and cilantro. Serve with white rice.
Tip: If you can’t find bulgogistyle beef, then you can just do it yourself: Place a boneless rib eye in the freezer for a few minutes to firm up, then slice thinly with a very sharp knife.

Notes

Instead of pan-searing, you could actually drizzle some oil over the meat and broil it on the top rack until crispy and well browned, 2 to 3 minutes (just watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn). This will only work with broilers that run very hot—if you suspect yours doesn’t, then stick to the pan-searing method in the recipe.

Nutrition