Swathed by three sides of the water, the Korean Peninsula has taken its seafood culture to a whole new level. While there is no shortage of stellar restaurants to throw a seafood feast in all of South Korea, one of the best and most authentic places to marvel at the aquarium and eat the exhibits is Noryangjin Fish Market.
Noryangjin is pretty far from Dongdaemun. The market is located in the South of the Han River, which makes more sense if you combine it into a day trip with the Seoul Sky and Gangnam area. Read on to discover how to get there, the best eats, and my trick for a successful bargain business.
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How to Get to Noryangjin Market?
You can get there on either Line #1 or #9. Head out of Exit 7, and go straight for about 3 minutes until you see an underpass on the right-hand side.
Right at the gate of the underpass, there is a blue signboard with directions to the market.
Go downstairs again and that’s where you slowly enter the market from the underground. After exiting, turn left, go straight, and you’ll see a glass building shown in the picture below.
Welcome to Noryangjin Market!
How Does the Noryangjin Market Work?
The seafood market is open 24 hours a day but the actual opening time of each fishmonger fluctuates. Anything here is huge and eye-catching, sunbathing on the sand of ice. At some vendors, you will find Korean, Chinese, and English sign boards but most of them are only written in the local language.
The right way to plan your eating itinerary is to browse through your favorite seafood on the first floor, compare the price, and bring them to the second floor for cooking at an additional service charge.
What Are the Must-Eats at Noryangjin Market?
My stop of the day was store #091, with a bustling series of tanks chock full of king crab, long-legged crab, octopus, prawn, and conch.
There’s no wonder that King crab is the most expensive item here which costs about ₩70,000 for a pound. The male king crab is usually ₩10,000 more expensive than the female. If you manage to nail your bargain job, you’re much more likely to get a good one at ₩30,000 cheaper.
There’s not much of a secret here: the more you buy, the cheaper it gets. For example, if you’re not only here for the crab only, why not add some more prawns or octopus and ask for the best deal?
Once you’re happy with the items, the store owner will call someone from the cooking area upstairs to come and pick you up. They will snag the live seafood in your hands and lead the way. This time, I followed a local lady to a restaurant called Dragon Palace, where I paid a standard rate for cooking per person.
After the payment, pick your seat and a waitress will come to confirm your order. Soup and fried rice are also available for order at different rates.
I chose to go for roasted prawn with salt and steamed crab, leaving the octopus served raw, drizzled with some sesame oil and sesame seeds. I’m so glad I got the crab with me. The meat is so juicy and tender just the way I like it. It’s better to be steamed this way so you can suck in all the finest notes out of the crab.
Interested in South Korea’s markets? Learn more about Gwangjang Market in our guide!
Everything You Need to Know about Korea
Explore more of our adventures around Korea:
- Travel Guide: A Pocket South Korea Travel Guide
- Attractions: Nami Island, Gwangjang Market
- Food: Ultimate South Korea Food Guide
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