Noryangjin Fish Market

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Photo by David Lee

As soon as you get out of the subway at Noryangjin Station you'll smell that you're in the vicinity of the Noryangjin Fish Market (노량진수산시장), Seoul's wholesale seafood market and auction venue. The majority of South Korea's seafood, and much of that going to the surrounding area, is routed through here, so it's a very busy place of business, not just a fascinating place for visitors to Seoul to experience. If you're interested in seeing the auctions then you'll need to be here from between 1am to 6:30am, as this is when all the trading is done on the fish you'll be eating in restaurants the following day. But after that the retail market operates well into the evening, so there's still something to see even in the afternoon.

Around 15,000 people attend the market daily, and if it's seafood you'll pretty much find it on offer here, possibly still wriggling with freshness... There are quite a few seafood delicacies enjoyed raw in Seoul, including tiny octopus, which is eaten raw: whole or sliced up, it's tentacles still suctioning your lips and mouth as you chew and swallow.

As well as crabs, abalone, sea cucumbers, snails, eels and all sorts of prawns there's also plenty of fish, which is sold by weight (it's OK to haggle), then gutted or prepared sashimi style as requested by you.

If you're not sure about doing it yourself you can go to one of the eight seafood restaurants that line the entranceway. These basically just sell you the sides and soups etc. that go with what's prepared at the market, and after you order, your waiter will yell it down to someone in the market who'll prepare it for you and it will be brought to your table fresh from the market floor. Most people tend to go for raw or only lightly broiled options.

As mentioned it's easy to get to the market via the subway, which lets you out near a pedestrian bridge which will take you right over the traffic onto the roof of the markets.

Written by  Simon Says.

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