Miracles, Sannakji, Noryangjin Fish Market in Seoul
25 Oct
Miracles, Brother One Feather’s Van in Santa Barbara, California.
*****
A little late in posting, since it happened 3 weeks ago… I went to the Noryangjin Fish Market in Seoul. 66,000 square meters, with over 700 shops selling fresh and dried seafood from 15 fishing ports around Korea. It also includes numerous restaurants and an auction floor.
My friends and I arrived at 3:30am after spending a few hours at a midnight fashion market in Dongdaemun. We wanted to witness the auction that starts at 3am. Many of the shops were still being set up when we arrived.
You’ll have to view the photos I took to really get a feel for this place, I can’t even describe it. I had never seen such a variety of fish, squid, octopus, crabs, shark, sea cucumbers, shells… The giant octopus were so pretty just sitting in their boxes waiting to be made into delicious dishes. Everyone was so busy working, they didn’t even mind us taking pictures and ooo’ing and aahh’ing with every new find. One shop owner even called to me, styled the fish and encouraged me to take photographs!
The best part of this experience was trying sannakji, live baby octopus. We went to one of the shops, bought some baby octopus and had one of the restaurants prepare it for us. Along with fresh steamed crab and soju, we had a delightful early morning feast! The sannakji was super tasty, dipped in sesame oil and a little salt, it really took on the flavor of the oil, but kept the chewy texture I love about octopus. AND it’s true what they say about live octopus, the tentacles climb up your chopsticks and the suction cups stick to your mouth!!! Truly a wonderful Korean experience!
To view all the photos from the Noryangjin Fish Market in Seoul click here.
COOL! (I’m down for eating weird stuff. I enjoyed stir fried meal worms. And I tried -though didn’t enjoy- fish eyes. But lie octupus??!! That’s too much even for me!) Where are the autumn leaves pics?
See, I love octopus and sashimi, so live octopus seemed good to me. I know I liked it becuase I tried it with a positive attitude.
I would never try stir fried mealworms or fish eyes. I think about them and they make me gag, so I know I would dislike them.
I tried soondae and almost threw up, but I tried it already knowing I wouldn’t like it…. I remember you said you liked it.