The Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market (노량진수산물도매시장), or the Noryangjin Fish Market is one of Korea’s largest fish markets. It was established in 1927 as Gyeongseong Susan (경성수산) in Jung-gu near Seoul Station, and was moved to its current location in 1971 with a cash loan from the Asian Development Bank. Approximately 4,000 employees at Noryangjin market act as a bridge between 300,000 fishermen and regular consumers to sell seafood to the public at a reasonable price. In 2016, a new building was constructed to modernize the old market.
Noryangjin can be a very intimidating place if you don’t speak Korean, but it is also a very culturally rich and interesting market worthy of being featured on one of the late Anthony Bourdain’s TV shows. If you are a true foodie who loves seafood, then this place will give you a one-of-a-kind experience when you visit Seoul.
Getting there
Directions to Noryangjin Fish Market: Take Subway Line 1 to Noryangjin Station. Go out of Exit 1. Walk about 100 meters over the bridge to arrive at the market.
The old market vs the new market
You will see two buildings, a fully enclosed, newly built building and a covered open air market. The covered, open air market is quaint and interesting to visit. It has a real vintage feel to it, and offers plenty of material for photographers. Many of the vendors however have moved to the newer market which has an impersonal, sterile feel to it, but also seems more sanitary and up to speed with health code.
There was (or is) an ongoing squabble between some of the vendors and the government. The vendors were all supposed to move to the new market, but some refused, claiming that the square footage in the new market is smaller than their current space. Some vendors still remain in the old market, and the government occasionally harasses them by turning off the electricity and things like that.
How to choose your seafood
When you go to the market, you can pick out your seafood of choice, and have it cooked up for you in a restaurant on the second floor of the new building. You can also bring it home. You will see all kinds of seafood here – perhaps things that you have never seen before!
Most Koreans go to Noryangjin to eat raw fish – halibut in particular. These are the ugly brown fish you see dwelling on the bottom of the tank. The fishmonger will scoop out the fish (it’s sill alive) and dump it on the scale to weigh it. The price is based on weight, and a bit of negotiation is expected. They will quote you a price that’s a little higher than they expect you to pay. Winter is the best season to eat raw halibut. Spring is when sea bream or sea bass is I season. Summer is when grilled eel or king carp is in season. In the fall, gizzard shad is in season.
When I went to the market, we chose halibut and snow crab during the summer, so really just pick what you would like! Some other seafood that I like includes sannakji (live octopus) and abalone. I would not recommend getting sea urchin. The sea urchin we got was small and didn’t seem too fresh.
How to eat at a restaurant at Noryangjin
After you choose and pay for your seafood, a worker will carry your seafood and lead you up the escalator to one of their partner restaurants. You can tell them how you want your fish prepared, and ask for extras (which you must pay for), such as spicy fish soup (maeun-tang 매운탕) or crab fried rice if you ordered crab. Unlike the Japanese, Koreans eat their raw fish with spicy red pepper paste, sesame oil, and lettuce. However, wasabi and soy sauce is also provided if you want to eat it the Japanese way.
To eat at the restaurant, you will be charged a table setting fee or cover charge of about 3000 KRW, which includes rice and Korean side dishes. In addition, you must pay for the cost of preparing your food which can get expensive, depending on what you purchase.
What to wear
Wear washable clothes and shoes that you don’t mind getting fishy water splashed on. The vendors are not careful when they are throwing around water and seafood. Some vendors will even put a live fish on the ground to flap around, to show off. I only say this because when I went to the market, one of the fishmongers threw a bucket of fishy water on my feet, which became soaked. I had to walk around the market and eat my food with squishy watery shoes.
Website: http://www.susansijang.co.kr/ (Korean only)
Address: 674, Nodeul-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 동작구 노들로 674