Just as Japan has the Tsukiji Fish Market, South Korea’s best known fresh seafood market has got to be the Jagalchi Market. Located on the edge of Nampo Port in Busan, Jagalchi Market is considered the largest seafood market in South Korea and is a spot you must visit when in Busan. As Busan is frequented by quite a number of tourists, Jagalchi Market is relatively tourist-friendly for Singaporeans as most of the stall owners speak decent mandarin.
That said, if you’re looking to tuck into seafood at affordable prices, do take care to enter Jagalchi Market from the correct side of the building. Elsewise, you may find yourself making the same mistake as us – paying slightly higher prices for the exact same dishes at the other side of the building.
As a matter of orientation, this is what you should be looking for when you first enter Jagalchi Market. There will be a couple of rows of shops with fresh seafood laid out for your picking. After you select your choice of seafood, the stall owners will arrange for someone to bring you (and your seafood) up to the dining area to be cooked. Do note that payment for the seafood does not include preparation and cooking of the seafood. The restaurant owners at the dining area on the 2nd level will charge you separately for their service.
In contrast, if you enter from the other side of Jagalchi Market, you will be greeted by stalls with fresh seafood but each stall has a dining area attached to it. The spread of seafood available at this side of the Jagalchi Market is not as extensive as you would find at the other entrance, and the level of touting here is also significantly higher. Also, if you’re not careful, you may find yourselves paying a little more than what you expected to be charged.
Notwithstanding the sentiments above, Jagalchi Market is a paradise for seafood lovers. From eel, to Alaskan King Crabs, octopus and scallops, it will be a feast for the eyes. But one tip that we’d give is to only choose seafood that is displayed outside the shop to ensure that you are paying for what you select. Elsewise, unless you are opting for your seafood to be cooked, you should be prepared for an upset stomach.
Well, we were prepared to suffer the consequences so we opted to enjoy most of our seafood raw. Whilst this plate of sea urchins set us back by just 10,000 won, we felt that there was slightly lesser meat than what we had expected. But for its extremely affordable price tag, it was still a reasonable portion and a delicious meal option.
We could not leave Jagalchi Market without having Sannakji aka sliced raw octopus. The stall owner we purchased the seafood from threw this in for free, and even allowed our toddler to touch the live octopus for entertainment. If you’ve never tried Sannakji, it’s really not as scary as it looks. Doused with sesame oil and sesame seeds, the octopus meat was firm yet chewy, and just slightly slimy. However, if you’re not accustomed to this type of seafood, it would be wise to share this dish with another dining partner.
As for cooked seafood, 2 other dishes that we’d recommend are the Grilled Eel (10,000 won) and the Abalone Porridge (30,000 won). The eel was lightly salted and incredibly fresh, and though we’d have liked a larger portion of abalone, the Abalone Porridge was very satisfying.
Jagalchi Market
52 Jagalchihaean-ro, Jung-gu,
Busan, South Korea
Please note that Jagalchi Market is closed on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month and that the prices stated above will differ across the different shops