TaeguI go back to Honolulu as often as I can to visit my folks.  And every time I go, it seems that they are into the next food craze.  I love it!  Ono Taegu, is a spicy dried cuttlefish dish.  It’s a side dish or snack.  As it is very rich and spicy in flavor, a little bit goes a long way.  Just to let you know, it’s really good with beer!  This recipe was shared by Helen who is my Mom’s childhood classmate!  They’re 87 and still making all kinds of ono, delicious, food!

The Koreans have a very spicy cuttlefish dish called Daegu and this must be the Hawaiian simplified version.  Doesn’t matter does it?  Well, I think it just tastes so good and is totally addictive.  I think it’s simplified because it doesn’t have any of the traditional Korean spices and just uses what you can get at the local supermarkets, except for the cuttlefish!  Also, it freezes well, so it keeps for long.  The best part is that it’s a cinch to put together.

Dried cuttlefish is common in Asia, but Westerners seem a little hesitant at first.  However, if you like seafood, I think you’ll find this very flavorful.  I served it to my local friends and didn’t tell them what it was.  They had no clue of the ingredient, but they really enjoyed it.

This really isn’t cooking, it’s just assembling.  First, you have to find dried cuttlefish.  Here in the Seattle area, I go to H-Mart, the Korean Supermarket.  In Hawaii, my Mom goes to Palama.  They sell a pound for around $11-$12.  You can eat cuttlefish as is too, but giving it a little more flavor is delicious.

5.0 from 2 reviews
Ono Taegu: Hawaiian Style Korean Spicy Cuttlefish
 
Author:
Recipe type: Taegu
Cuisine: Hawaiian Korean
Serves: 1 pound
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
 
Spicy dried cuttlefish
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. Cuttlefish
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 2T paprika
  • 1T cayenne pepper or chili pepper
  • 1T garlic
  • 3T sesame seed
  • 5T sesame oil
  • 2T Wesson (cooking oil) not olive oil as it may clash with flavors.
  • pinch of sea salt
Instructions
  1. Place the cuttlefish in a big bowl.
  2. Cut to bite size as often they are long strips
  3. add all the ingredients and mix
  4. Place in snack size ziploc bags and freeze.

7 thoughts on “Ono Taegu: Hawaiian Style Korean Spicy Cuttlefish”

  1. Awesomeness! Thank you for this recipe. I added a little more honey than usual and also use the Korean kimchee paste. So ono!

  2. Always looked for some in the Asian Markets here, but texture is different, glad to hear cuttlefish for Taegu can be found at Hmart, Mahalo

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe:  

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Scroll to Top
Scroll to Top