Foodventures: Noryangjin Fish Market, Seoul SK

My recent trip to Seoul was all about spicy food, street food and seafood!

One of the things we were looking forward in our itinerary was the trip to Noryangjin Fish Market also known as the Tsukiji Market of Seoul. The largest seafood market in South Korea, Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market dates back to 1927 with the hopes of promoting the country's fishing industry. While the market is open 24 hours, visitors are encouraged to come as early as 3AM to witness the live auction of only the freshest catch between sellers and buyers.

As much as I wanted to come and see it first hand, our bodies were too tired from too much walking and going around Seoul that usually starts at 1PM until 12 midnight everyday for the entire duration of the trip. So no, we did not go early to witness any auction.

There's fresh seafood everywhere! The whole ground floor is packed with so much live and vibrant seafood that you can possibly imagine. Even if you don't speak their native language, a calculator will always come handy in asking for the prices and discounts. 

It took a while before we finally decided on what to have for dinner. The endless parade of seafood made it even more difficult to choose which ones to try that night! After going around twice, we finally found a stall that agreed on the budget we had for the seafood that we wanted.

The lady owner asked his staff to accompany us to the 2nd floor of the building where the restaurants are. The fresh seafood are brought here to have it cooked in any way your prefer. The restaurant charge per kilo depending on the manner of cooking plus a minimal fee per person.

The place was packed with locals having good food + Soju after work.

While we were there to eat as much seafood as we can to our hearts' content!

On the table

The staff served a plateful of lettuce, mint leaves and fresh garlic with their special sauce of sesame oil and soy bean paste for dipping. Do not expect a parade of Banchan like most Korean restaurants offer because they only serve refillable kimchi here as your side dish.

Sea Cucumber Sashimi

It was my first time to eat Sea Cucumber and what's even more interesting is it was raw! This Japanese delicacy was slippery in the mouth and crunchy at the same time, a weird yet addicting combination especially when dipped in the soybean paste since its basically tasteless and bland.

Steamed Shellfish

When you have fresh seafood, the best way to go is either raw or steamed to retain its taste.

Steamed Alaskan king Crab

And now the star of the table -- a steamed Alaskan King Crab! Watching Deadliest Catch on Discovery Channel made me appreciate this prized seafood more, knowing how dangerous king crab fishing is. With the use of the kitchen shears provided, cutting the legs and getting the meat out of the shell was an easy task. The king crab has a distinctive sweet and succulent flavor with a tender yet firm meat, definitely worth the fancy price. I've had excellent meals in the past but nothing can top a fresh and huge Alaskan King Crab, this is by far the best meal ever!