Salted Shrimp (Saeujeot) substitute

Substitutes for Salted Shrimp (Saeujeot) with ratios

1. 2Southeast Asian shrimp paste (belacan, kapi, terasi), toasted

   Taste and texture differ

   1 teaspoon for every 1 tablespoon salted shrimp

   Both are fermented shrimp, but they are different products: saeujeot is loose wet shrimp in brine, while belacan and kapi are dried, pressed, concentrated blocks.

   What changes

   Use a third of the volume and toast it in a dry pan or wrap it in foil and heat it through first, which tames the raw ammoniac edge.

   Best for

   kimchi when nothing else is available, spicy braises, stir-fried greens

   This is a real compromise, not an equal. It is several times funkier, distinctly darker, and it will turn a pale kimchi paste a murky grey-brown. The flavour reads as Malaysian or Thai rather than Korean. Dissolve it in a spoonful of warm water before mixing so it does not sit in lumps.

2. 3Mashed anchovy fillets plus salt

   Taste and texture differ

   2 oil-packed anchovy fillets plus ½ teaspoon fine salt for 1 tablespoon salted shrimp

   Anchovies in oil are salt-cured fish, so mashed to a paste they cover the savoury half of what saeujeot contributes, and the added salt covers the rest.

   What changes

   This is the most likely thing to already be in a Western pantry.

   Best for

   kimchi, stews, braised pork, dressings

   Rinse the oil off first or the kimchi paste turns slick. The result is fishier and rounder than shrimp jeot and reads slightly Mediterranean, but in a paste loaded with gochugaru and garlic that difference mostly disappears. Anchovy paste from a tube works too, about 1 teaspoon plus the salt.

3. 4Ground dried shrimp plus salt

   Taste and texture differ

   1 tablespoon finely ground dried shrimp plus ¾ teaspoon fine salt for 1 tablespoon salted shrimp

   Dried shrimp are cooked and sun-dried rather than fermented, so grinding them fine in a spice grinder gives you concentrated shrimp flavour and the salt closes the gap.

   What changes

   Good when you want the shrimp identity without the ferment.

   Best for

   kimchi, radish kimchi, soups, stir-fries

   Noticeably sweeter and toastier and completely missing the sour-funky fermented edge, so a kimchi made this way tastes cleaner and a bit flat at first, then improves a lot after a week in the fridge as the cabbage itself sours. Grind it genuinely fine or you get sandy grit.

4. 5Soy sauce plus a small amount of doenjang

   Taste and texture differ

   2 teaspoons soy sauce plus ½ teaspoon doenjang for 1 tablespoon salted shrimp

   A seafood-free route that keeps the dish Korean.

   What changes

   Soy sauce supplies salt and glutamate, doenjang supplies the fermented depth and a little body.

   Best for

   vegetarian kimchi, stews, braises, seasoned vegetables

   The result is beanier and earthier rather than marine, and the kimchi brine will be darker. It genuinely works, it just tastes like a vegetarian kimchi, which is a real style in Korea rather than a failure.

5. 6The honest answer: kelp and mushroom for a vegan version

   Taste and texture differ

   1 teaspoon fine salt plus 1 teaspoon kombu or shiitake powder for 1 tablespoon salted shrimp

   There is no vegan ingredient that reproduces the specific soft, sweet-salty, slightly funky character of saeujeot.

   What changes

   What you can do is replace its two measurable functions: bring the salt back to exactly where it was, and add glutamate-rich kelp or dried mushroom for savoury depth.

   Best for

   vegan kimchi, vegan stews

   Be straightforward with yourself about the result: it tastes clean, bright and vegetal, and a Korean cook would immediately notice the missing seafood note. It is still very good kimchi. Grind dried kombu or dried shiitake in a spice grinder, or steep a strip of kombu in the small amount of water you use to loosen the paste.