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There are fish in the world that were born in the sea and miss the river. Sea bass is that kind of life. Sea bass doesn't just stay in the deep sea. In spring and summer, they swim up to shallow coasts, river mouths, and brackish waters in pursuit of food, and in winter, they return to deep water to spawn. It is about leaving oneself to the flow of the seasons by moving between the sea and the river. Sea bass, a carnivorous predator, especially enjoys anchovies, and in the spring, when schools of anchovies flock to the coast, they follow them around the coast. This ecology is the reason why sea bass has been considered a fish symbolizing compliance and harmony since ancient times.
Our people have long regarded sea bass as a valuable health food.
There is a proverb that says, “Perch soup in May is better than eel,” and “croaker in spring, perch in summer, cutlassfish in fall, and winter perch in winter” also say perch as a fish that represents summer. In ‘Sejong Annals of Geography’, sea bass appears as a local product of several towns. It was called by familiar names in each region, such as Kangdagu in Busan, Nonge in Tongyeong, and Fundaegi or Kkealtteok in Jeollanam-do. This shows that sea bass has been deeply embedded in our lives for a long time.
◇ A summer health food that is comforting and sweet, and nourishes the stomach and liver.
In curing, sea bass is considered to be flat in nature and sweet in taste. Plain means that it is neither cold nor hot, so most body types can eat it without any burden. In ‘Bonchogangmok’, a pharmacology book completed over 27 years by Lee Si-jin of the Ming Dynasty, it is said that sea bass nourishes the five intestines, strengthens the muscles and bones, and stabilizes the fetus.
Sea bass acts on the spleen, stomach, liver, and kidneys. The spleen is responsible for digestion and absorption, and the liver and kidneys store the fundamental vitality of the human body. This is why sea bass is believed to strengthen the stomach, aid digestion, and restore weakness by strengthening the liver and kidneys. This is why sea bass has been used since ancient times for chronic stomach pain, indigestion, diarrhea, weak constitution, and recovery after surgery.
The explanation of modern nutrition does not differ greatly from this. Sea bass is a representative white fish, rich in high-quality protein, but low in fat, so it has a light taste, soft flesh, and is easily digested. Protein is the basic material that makes up muscles, organs, and skin, and is an essential nutrient for recovering damaged tissues. This is why sea bass is recommended to post-surgical patients, growing children, and the elderly. Sufficient protein intake is also considered important in the slow aging diet for healthy aging, and sea bass is evaluated as a food ingredient that fills the body with necessary nutrients while putting less strain on the body.
The ingredient of particular note is taurine. Taurine is known to help relieve fatigue, support liver function, and is involved in controlling blood pressure and preventing arteriosclerosis. The experience of our ancestors, who said that eating sea bass in the hot summer would restore energy, is also explained by modern nutrition. Here, sea bass contains more fat-soluble vitamins than water-soluble vitamins, especially vitamins A and D. Vitamin A helps prevent night blindness, and vitamin D helps calcium absorption and is involved in bone health, so it is beneficial for both growing children and the elderly. Copper, a trace element involved in nervous system function and the action of various enzymes, is also an ingredient that sea bass naturally supplements.
Sea bass was also said to be a valuable food for pregnant women. In Oriental medicine, sea bass is believed to restore energy and blood and stabilize the fetus, and was widely used as a food to help restore a mother's energy and produce breast milk after childbirth.
Our ancestors enjoyed sea bass in a variety of ways, including raw fish, clear soup, steamed, grilled, and soup. Sea bass sashimi was such a rare food that it was introduced in the late Joseon Dynasty cookbook ‘Joseon Musang New Style Cooking Recipe’. The white and firm flesh becomes sweeter the more you chew it and has an excellent lightness. The reason ginger is added when eating raw fish is not only because of its flavor, but also because of the wisdom of curing that ginger's warm nature removes the fishy taste of fish and helps sterilize it. Sea bass soup is considered to be the food that best utilizes the curing value of sea bass. Boiling ginger and green onions in clear soup warms the stomach and aids digestion, and adding yam to it increases the energy-boosting effect.
Even good food cannot be medicine if taken in excess. Old medical books recorded that overeating sea bass can worsen tumours and skin diseases. If you are a gout patient or have a moist heat constitution, it is best to avoid excessive intake. Health is not about eating a lot, but about eating according to your body condition.
◇ A fish that rides on power, the power of health that comes from accumulation
When you look at the sea bass, you can see the laws of nature. Know where to stay, move with the flow, and don't force yourself to go against it. Here is the life of non-action and nature that Lao Tzu spoke of. A single summer sea bass contains the vitality of the sea and the flexibility of the river.
Sun Tzu's Art of War, 'Force of Forces' section, says that victory or defeat in a war depends not on the number of troops, but on how 'forces' are created and utilized. Sun Tzu said that a person who is good at handling things is like rolling a boulder from a mountain a thousand miles high. The strength of a single stone is not great, but the moment it rolls down from a high place, it becomes a huge force. This is the disease.
Curing is no different. Health is not created suddenly. Only when good energy accumulates and circulates in the body to create a flow of health does a great force called vitality arise. This is the point where Sun Tzu's illness becomes both a war technique and a philosophy of health.
The meaning is easily understood when looking at the sea bass that represents the summer sea. Sea bass do not fight against rough waves head on. They use the current, read the currents, and move to places where prey gathers. It is a fish that changes the flow of the sea with its own power.
The first strength of sea bass is revealed in its raw fish. There is no unnecessary sashimi. The essence of the sea is captured in the white and clear skin. The competition is based on the strength of the fish itself rather than strong seasoning. Although it is the simplest recipe, it brings out the deepest flavor in it. By not embellishing, you are revealing your essence. Health also lasts longer when you take advantage of your body's resilience rather than oversupplying it.
Stewed sea bass is another face of the disease. The taste deepens as the soy sauce, radish, and vegetables combine and slowly simmer. Materials that were initially different become condensed into one force over time. The life that Sun Tzu spoke of is the process of small forces coming together to create a big flow. Our lives are like that too. Daily good habits may seem small, but if accumulated, they become your health, character, and destiny.
Grilled sea bass shows concentrated energy. Over the flame, the oil slowly melts and the flesh becomes harder. The original flavor intensifies when exposed to external heat. People also become deeper when they go through trials. There is no growth without adversity. Steamed sea bass is the beauty of harmony. Jjim is a food made by combining fire and water, so the heat should not be too high or too low. Appropriate temperature and time are required. The most important thing in curing is balance. 'The Emperor's Internal Classics' explains health as a state of balance between yin and yang. Steamed sea bass is a food that balances yin and yang.
Fried sea bass shows the power of change. The same sea bass looks completely different when exposed to hot oil. In the section on illness, Sun Tzu emphasized change. Changes unexpected by the enemy lead to victory. Nature is also constantly changing. Spring becomes summer and summer becomes fall. Health also comes from the ability to adapt to change. Sea bass soup is the completion of a disease. The nutrition of the sea bass seeps into the clear soup. It is deep and refreshing without being greasy. It warms the stomach and aids digestion during summer, and protein, taurine, vitamins and minerals dissolve in the soup and penetrate deep into the body.
The sea bass resembles the entire Byeongsepyeon. Going back and forth between the sea and river, reading the flow, waiting for the right time, storing up strength, and then moving at the decisive moment. It is a being that changes the momentum of nature into its own momentum.
Nowadays, people are also speeding up their health. You want to look younger and recover quickly in a short period of time. However, nature always gives a different answer. Just as a sea bass does not gain weight overnight, health does not build overnight. When good food, good thoughts, and good habits accumulate, an invisible force is formed in the body. And at some point, that age overcomes the disease and becomes the basis for slow aging. Just as the grandchild's illness stems from the accumulation of small amounts of strength, the path to slowing aging also begins not with special secrets but with daily choices. It is not the strong who last long, but the one who knows the flow. These are the words given to us by the sea bass in the summer sea.
Choi Man-soon, food columnist
▲ Founder of Korean herbal medicine cuisine ▲ Director of the Korean Traditional Medicinal Medicine Research Institute ▲ After studying with Professor Peng Myeong-cheon, founder of Chinese herbal medicine cuisine, served as president of the Korea-China-Japan Medicinal Medicine Association
