Busan cooks up sensational seafood in South Korea
When she started chopping, we knew there was no turning back. We were going to eat it.
A British couple stopped to look on, sensing excitement. They couldn’t believe we were going to do it.
Raw octopus
That is: raw, live octopus, chopped into itty bitty pieces right in front of you, and served with the tentacles still moving. With a splash of sesame oil to taste, of course.
Once inside your mouth, you can feel small suction cups trying to mount your gums as the tentacles move around. It’s bizarre, that’s for sure, but it’s incredibly tasty.
This is Jagalchi Market in Busan, South Korea, the largest fish market in the ｃountry.
The octopus is dead by the time it’s in your mouth — the legs simply have some post-mortem kick left to them. It’s a delicacy showcasing optimal freshness.
It makes sense Jagalchi is in Busan. The sprawling southeastern city — the biggest metro area after Seoul — looks out towards the Korea Strait, which separates South Korea from Japan. This is where the East China Sea meets the Sea of Japan (also known as the East Sea), and historically it’s been a bustling port with traders from all over. It’s now a fish lover’s dream.
Jagalchi is where it all begins. Outside the market’s massive main building, vendors hang freshly caught rockfish, mackerel and sea bream from the top of their stalls. The smells are intense and refreshing.
Inside is the real show. Hundreds and hundreds of pounds of fresh seafood — crab, squid, oysters, mussels, abalone and sea urchins — are displayed in huge tanks, often stacked on top of another, to maximize space. The place is enormous. Rows of stalls line the entire main floor of the market, which stretches the length of several football fields. It’s a true spectacle of how humans have harnessed the vast resources of the sea.
Many of the vendors, most of whom are middle-aged women, sell the same selection of seafood, but I’m told each have customers who are loyal to their particular stall. There are also dozens of specialty vendors who focus on specific catches, such as eel or squid. Both restaurants and home cooks from across Korea rely on the products that flow into the massive market.
Squirming octopus tentacles is likely not for everyone — the vendors happily offer samples of raw abalone and oysters if that’s more of your thing.
Most visitors, however, choose to eat at the small, kiosk-style restaurants on the second floor of the market. Most who come are also advised to choose the seafood hotpot, a great way to sample a number of different scrumptious crustaceans. Loads of crab, clams, shrimp, oyster, mussels and abalone are cooked in a chili-based broth that has a pleasant kick. You truly can’t get much fresher than this.
The menu is packed with other local favourites, such as clam soup, grilled eel, and thinly sliced morsels of raw sea bass. The ladies working the kitchens will basically cook anything that’s being sold in the market below.
Like many restaurants in the ｃountry, you dine the traditional way: at a very low table on a raised platform. That means sitting on your butt and taking your shoes off.
And like everywhere in Korea, the meal comes with a variety of cold vegetable side dishes that are staples of Korean cuisine. While kimchi (fermented, spiced vegetables, usually cabbage) is the best known, other favourites, such as seaweed salad, pickled cucumbers, seasoned sprout salad, and braised potatoes in a tangy sweet dressing, are doled out in small bowls. Servers are quick to refill them as you eat. The sour and briny vegetables add freshness to the meal.
If you’re a seafood adventurer, then Jagalchi should be at the top of your list. If you also have the time — and the courage — make your way to Geumsubokguk, a small restaurant in one of the city’s liveliest neighbourhoods.
You’ll need courage because pufferfish, also known as blowfish (bok in Korean and fugu in Japanese), is on the menu. It’s a fish that can kill you if it’s not prepared properly.
The species’ internal organs contain a deadly poison, so highly trained chefs must ensure the meat does not get contaminated.
It’s scary stuff, but we’re assured that poisonings are exceptionally rare. Geumsubokguk’s crowded dining room also helps to alleviate any fear.
Geumsubokguk is a real gem because it’s known as the first restaurant in Busan to start serving pufferfish. A widow, You Sang Yong, opened the restaurant in 1970 and grew the business herself. On the night we’re there, she is, too, visiting her son Lee, who now runs the family operation. Our order arrives and the queen of pufferfish, now well into her 80s, tells us she’s happy the fish continues to be so popular.
What we’re served are three variations: a fried pufferfish cutlet with a tangy vinegar sauce, sweet and sour pufferfish, and pufferfish stew. What makes the fish special is a texture that is remarkably meaty, more similar to chicken than really anything else. The taste is subtle, not fishy at all. The showstopper is the pufferfish stew, served in a savoury broth with heaps of sprouts, mushrooms and green onions with rice on the side. The dish is hearty, but also incredibly refreshing and reinvigorating. The history of the restaurant, and the novelty of eating a poisonous fish, makes Geumsubokguk a must if you’re in Busan — a city teeming with food adventures for those who crave a taste of the sea.
Article Source: https://www.thestar.com/life/travel/2016/12/15/busan-cooks-up-sensational-seafood-in-south-korea.html
Image Source: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C8BYaM9eqQA/UjgkXUdoqNI/AAAAAAAAAd0/Ne02ubcouKw/s320/Blowfish.jpg
VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Bizzare (adj.) ~ very strange or unusual, especially so as to cause interest or amusement
2. Bustling (adj.) ~ full of energetic and noisy activity
3. Morsel (adj.) ~ a small piece or amount of food a mouthful
4. Dole out (phrasal verb) ~ to administer or bestow, especially in small portions
5. Briny (adj.) ~ of salty water or the sea
6. Tangy (adj.) ~ having a strong, piquant flavor or smell
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. What do you know about Jagalchi? Describe it in details.
2. Have you ever tried eating seafood delicacies such as octupos and puffer fish? What do you think of them?
3. Why do you think these kinds of dishes is apealing to many people even though they know it could be dangerous? Discuss your answer.
