Because of unprecedented radioactivity problem, lots of people who are in the fishing industry worry about their future. A radiation leakage accident in Fukushima, Japan really influence we Koreans.
It is important to check fishery imports from Japan, conduct radioactivity check, and undertake post measure. But false rumors do make customers rarely eat marine products.
I did not go to Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market because of that kind of critical mind.
It is true that I selfishly thought the price might be lower than usual because of this accident. There is a pedestrian overpass to Noryangjin Market nearby Noryangjin Station. If you cross the overpass, cutting through the train track, you can get out of the building and there you go.
The outside part of the Market is full of living seafood. Inside, there are many wholesale stores which sell the products by box.
The first joy of visiting this market is buying lots of marine products while watching them. And second is eating them right away on the spot.
For this reason, across from the market, there is a Sashimi Center, which cook marine products you buy. Roughly speaking, there are more than ten restaurants.
You would be better to look around seafood, first. Compare the price or see if the owner can throw in a few more. I decided to purchase crab and conch.
Snow crab is more than ten thousand won by kilogram.
Some are more than ten kilograms, which made me buy cheaper one. Blue crab is bigger than one in conventional market. It is 25000 won by 1 kilogram.
The owner of Cheonan Store threw a few more. It is better to say give more products than lower the price. Because it is a kind of rule; most stores don't care to throw something into the bargain but they don't like reduce a price. Rather, they prefer not to sell them.
I bought big blue crabs which were bigger than adult's palm at 25000 won.
Next, I bought conch at Haenam Ttang Kkeut store.
The price was 20000 won by kilogram and the owner gave one more.
The conch was little bigger than plum.
The second floor had a lot of sushi restaurants.
Basically, these stores make seafood roasted, steamed, or boiled in soup at 7000 won by 1kg.
Separately, you should pay 3000 won per person for seasoning.
It cost me 8000 won for steaming the crab and 7000 won for boiling the conch.
There were red pepper paste in container and a small dish for soy sauce with wasabi.
They served boiled conch in ten minutes. The conch was chopped into bite-sized pieces and had the smell of the sea. According to your preference, you can choose red pepper paste or soy sauce.
It doesn't matter whether you eat blue crab or snow crab. All need the same way; first, peel its shell and put aside it for delicacy when you eat all meats inside the crab. Cut the body in a half and enjoy the white crab meat. They were really fresh.
I also ordered cool beer and Maeuntang, fish stew.
If you buy live fish for sashimi, you can use its head and bone as ingredients for Maeuntang. One small Maeuntang is 20000 won.
The bitter and sweetish taste of a crab shell is addictive. My daughter, who normally doesn't like seafood, still remembers the taste of mixing boiled rice with seasonings in a crab shell.
In the crab shell you saved for later, add sesame oil, red pepper paste and mix them with its internal organs. You can use butter instead of sesame oil, which is also good. Then add rice and mix them together. It had flavor savory, sour, and bitter taste at the same time when you eat.
The total budget was rather expensive, but it was really good experience that I could choose seafood and ate them on the spot. And bargaining with the owner was also interesting. Watching their lives in the market and feeling them, I really enjoyed this short trip to Noryangjin Market.
Location : Noryangjin-dong 13-8, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, Korea
Haenam Ttang Kkeut store (abalone, live squid, octopus, sea squirt, sea cucumber, shellfish), Tel. 82-2-824-7211, 82-10-7578-0410
Cheonan Store (blue crab, snow crab, king crab, shrimp, also provide gift packing), Tel. 82-2-812-3363, 82-10-6822-3067
Tto-Soon-i Hoe Yang Nyeom(Restaurant), Tel. 82-2-815-9880, 82-10-5036-9880
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