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Fish & seafood · Fermented seafood

Salted fermented shrimp (saeujeot)

Tiny shrimp salted and fermented in brine; Korea's key seasoning for kimchi paste, soups and steamed eggs.

Also called: saeu-jeot, salted shrimp, fermented shrimp, yukjeot, korean salted shrimp

Around the world: 새우젓 (ko)

A kind of prawns / shrimp

1 recipe with it

What it is

Very small shrimp packed with a lot of salt and left to ferment for months, sold in jars with their briny liquid. The best is yukjeot, made from shrimp caught in June. It seasons kimchi and many soups with a clean, savoury saltiness rather than a strong fishy taste.

How it’s used

  • Minced into kimchi seasoning paste
  • Seasoning steamed egg (gyeran-jjim) and clear soups
  • Served as a dipping condiment with boiled pork (bossam)

Characteristics

Taste
Very salty and savoury with a light sweetness.
Texture
Soft, tiny whole shrimp in brine.
Sold as
fermented
Cooking uses
Mainly a seasoning
Common in
Korean

Storage

Refrigerated. Keep in the fridge or freezer; the high salt content keeps it for many months.

Diet, allergens and safety

Contains Crustaceans.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free
  • Contains crustaceans.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
35 kcal
Protein
5.06 g
Carbohydrate
3.64 g
Fat
0.01 g
Fibre
0 g
Sugars
3.64 g

USDA FoodData Central: Sauce, fish, ready-to-serve (a close stand-in).

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Fish sauce — Use about the same volume; the kimchi will be a little less rounded.

Related ingredients

Recipes with salted fermented shrimp (saeujeot)