Noryangjin Fish Market is the largest and most popular seafood market in Seoul. As it’s connected to the subway station, you can easily reach the fish market within the city.
Compared to other local markets, you can get fish and other kinds of seafood that are fresher at Noryangjin Fish Market at very low prices. This is because Noryangjin Fish Market is both a wholesale outlet as well as a retail market.
Every early morning at around 3 a.m., a live fish auction is held at the market, which is quite a unique scene for both local and foreign visitors. Even if you don’t buy anything, the entire market itself gives a great local experience for travelers and tourists.
1. How to get to the market
If you are taking the subway to go to the market, take the Exit No.1 of Noryangjin Station. It may be hard to find the way to the market because it is located over the station.
To get to the market, you should pass the pedestrian overpass. If you see a crowd, just follow them (it’s likely that they are going to the market)! For map and directions, click here.
2. Buy fresh fish & seafood
Once you enter the building, you will see many kinds of fresh fish and seafood everywhere. Most of the sellers are not good at English so you need to use body language to talk with them. The price of fish is normally fixed so compare the level of freshness.
3. Find a restaurant to eat fish
You can find many stalls lining the market where they will slice the fish you bought at the market into ‘hoe (raw fish)‘. If you go to the market during lunchtime or on the weekends, the market will be very crowded.
The best season to enjoy hoe is winter, but if you are visiting this place in spring, buy sea bream or sea bass, grilled eel or king carp in summer, and gizzard shad in fall.
After buying your fish or seafood on the ground floor, head over to the basement or the first floor where you can find sit-in restaurants. Basically, you either buy fish at the market, get it sliced into a hoe and take it home, or go to these sit-in restaurants where they will cook and then serve them as a meal to you.
Depending on the kinds of fish you bring, the cost at a restaurant will vary. For the raw fish without a stew, you will need to pay about 5,000 KRW per each person. If you order a stew, you will have to pay about 3,000 KRW per each person, which will be added to the price of the stew. If you want them to be grilled such as grilled shrimp or salmon, it will cost about 3,000 KRW per each person.
Although the price for fish or seafood itself is cheap, due to the separate fee you have to pay for condiments and cooking methods (steamed/grilled/stew/porridge), eating in Noryangjin fish market is not as cheap, or sometimes even more expensive compared to the general seafood restaurants. It is highly recommended that you just buy the prepared hoe and take it home to enjoy them.
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Photo Credits
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Originally posted to Flickr as IMG_9108, CC BY-SA 2.0 by Gaël Chardon
