What to eat in Seoul now

Pick a fish at Noryangjin market and have it sliced on the spot. Known for winter yellowtail, soy-marinated raw crab and live octopus.

Fish from all of Korea’s seas (the Yellow Sea, the East Sea and the South Sea) gathers at Noryangjin Fish Market; the port of Incheon is nearby

In season in October

• 🐙

  Sannakji (fresh live octopus)

  Best nowOften raw

  Freshly cut long-arm octopus that is still moving, eaten with sesame oil and salt. The suckers can stick in the mouth or throat, so chew well before swallowing. Best in autumn.

  Season

  All year

  Best

  Oct – Nov

  Show the staff: 산낙지

  Fish guide: Octopus

• 🐟

  Jeoneo gui (salt-grilled gizzard shad)

  Best now

  The taste of autumn in Korea — so fragrant when grilled that a saying claims it brings home a runaway daughter-in-law. Eaten bones and all; also served raw.

  Season

  Sep – Oct

  Best

  Sep – Oct

  Show the staff: 전어구이

  Fish guide: Gizzard shad (kohada)

• 🐟

  Raw fish at Noryangjin market (flounder, rockfish)

  Often raw

  Choose a live fish downstairs, then have it sliced at a restaurant upstairs (a cutting/table fee is extra). Finish with the leftovers in a spicy fish soup (maeuntang).

  Season

  All year

  Best

  Nov – Feb

  Where

  Noryangjin Fish Market

  Show the staff: 노량진 수산시장 회(광어·우럭)

  Fish guide: Olive flounder (hirame)

• 🦀

  Ganjang gejang (raw crab marinated in soy sauce)

  Often raw

  Raw blue crab marinated in a soy-based sauce, nicknamed “rice thief.” Mix rice into the shell. Best in spring when the females carry roe.

  Season

  All year

  Best

  Apr – May

  Show the staff: 간장게장

  Fish guide: Swimming crab

• 🐟

  Agujjim (spicy braised monkfish)

  Monkfish and bean sprouts braised with lots of chili. Served on a big platter to share.

  Season

  All year

  Best

  Dec – Feb

  Show the staff: 아귀찜

  Fish guide: Monkfish (anko)

• 🐟

  Jangeo gui (grilled eel, Korean style)

  Butterflied eel grilled at your table, eaten wrapped in leaves with ginger and garlic. A summer stamina food.

  Season

  All year

  Best

  Jul – Aug

  Show the staff: 장어구이

  Fish guide: Freshwater eel (unagi)

• 🥞

  Haemul pajeon (seafood and green onion pancake)

  A savory pancake with green onions, squid, shrimp and shellfish. Classic with makgeolli on a rainy day.

  Season

  All year

  Best

  Show the staff: 해물파전

• 🥞

  Bindaetteok at Gwangjang Market (mung bean pancake)

  Ground mung beans mixed with pork and kimchi, fried crisp in plenty of oil. A street-stall classic at Gwangjang Market.

  Season

  All year

  Best

  Show the staff: 광장시장 빈대떡

Coming in November

• 🐟

  Winter yellowtail sashimi (daebangeo)

  Often raw

  Korea’s favorite winter sashimi: big, fatty yellowtail cut thick, sometimes wrapped in seaweed with kimchi.

  Season

  Nov – Feb

  Best

  Dec – Jan

  Show the staff: 대방어회

  Fish guide: Yellowtail (Japanese amberjack)

• 🦪

  Gul bossam (boiled pork wraps with raw oysters)

  Often raw

  A winter dish: boiled pork, raw oysters and fresh kimchi wrapped together in napa cabbage leaves.

  Season

  Nov – Feb

  Best

  Dec – Jan

  Show the staff: 굴보쌈

  Fish guide: Oyster

Local specialties through the year

Other regions

Nagoya (Aichi) · Fukuoka (Hakata) · Hiroshima · Hyogo (Kobe, Akashi) · Kyoto (city, Tango coast) · Hakuba (Nagano) · Hokkaido (Sapporo, Otaru) · Busan

Seasons shift with the weather and the catch each year. Ask the restaurant what is in today.