Boryeong sashimi shop: free gizzard shad, iced takeout at Nokdo Susan

Whenever I travel to Daecheon, I always find myself craving a plate of sashimi for dinner. But going into a restaurant with kids in tow can be a hassle, and eating comfortably back at the lodging sounded pretty good too — so this time I decided to get sashimi packed to-go at Daecheonhang Port. That's how I ended up at Nokdo Susan (녹도수산) in Daecheonhang Fish Market.

I looked around the tanks myself, picked a flounder, and had it packed. The portion was better than I expected, and they even threw in some gizzard shad sashimi for free, which made it quite satisfying. Most memorable of all: even after the roughly one-hour drive back to our lodging, the sashimi stayed perfectly fresh.

Choosing a live flounder at Daecheonhang Fish Market in Boryeong

Walking into Daecheonhang Fish Market, every tank was packed with seafood — true to a fish market. Since it's autumn, blue crabs and shrimp caught my eye, and gizzard shad in season was visible everywhere.

I wandered around a few stalls before settling on Nokdo Susan — what I personally liked was that the tanks looked really clean. The water was clear and the fish inside were swimming actively, so my first impression just from looking was a good one.

It was also convenient that price tags were posted, so I didn't have to ask about every single price. That day, out of all the options, I picked flounder — the one I'm most familiar with. Since we planned to eat it just the two of us at the lodging, I told them a reasonable amount and ordered. Watching them pick the flounder right in front of me and fillet it on the spot made packing sashimi from the market genuinely fun.

How much sashimi one tank flounder makes at Nokdo Susan

Honestly, thinking back now, I don't remember exactly what size flounder I ordered that day. So I can't give you a specific size or price. But once I got the packed sashimi, the portion was better than I'd expected — there was no sense that it would fall short for the two of us as dinner at the lodging.

What made it extra fun was watching the flounder get picked straight from the tank and filleted right there, which felt different from just buying pre-packed sashimi. While the owner was filleting, I looked around and noticed the seasonal gizzard shad, and struck up a quick conversation. Next thing I knew, they threw in gizzard shad sashimi for free. I hadn't expected that at all, so it made my day. I went in thinking only about flounder, but ended up with gizzard shad too, and it made quite a spread when we laid it all out at the lodging.

Ice-box packing and the free gizzard shad sashimi

What I liked most about this Daecheon sashimi takeaway wasn't just the fish itself — it was how carefully they packed it. We weren't eating right away; we planned to eat about an hour later at the lodging. So when I mentioned the travel time, they packed the ice box generously with ice and wrapped everything carefully. When we finally opened it at the lodging, there was still a surprising amount of ice left, and the sashimi had stayed nicely cold. That really pleased me.

And finally, I tried the flounder sashimi first. The flesh was chewy and clean-tasting, with almost no fishy taste at all. At first I ate it plain, without dipping it in chojang (vinegar-chili sauce) or soy sauce, and the clean flavor unique to flounder was great on its own. The free gizzard shad sashimi, though, was a completely different experience. If flounder is clean and chewy, gizzard shad had a nutty flavor that grew the more you chewed. I hadn't expected much since it was free, but it turned out to be even more memorable than I thought.

How the sashimi tasted an hour later at the lodging

Eating sashimi comfortably back at the lodging while traveling had a different kind of fun compared to eating out at a restaurant. When you're moving around with kids, it's not always easy to sit and enjoy a relaxed meal at a restaurant, so packing sashimi to eat at the lodging meant we weren't racing against time. This time in particular, the combo of flounder sashimi plus the free gizzard shad sashimi worked really well.

I don't remember the exact size or price of the flounder, but the amount we actually ate was more than enough for the two of us as a meal at the lodging. What I liked most was being able to choose according to the posted prices and check the fish myself before it was packed on the spot. And I also loved that, even after about an hour of travel, the ice was still there — they really packed it carefully.

Overall, this Daecheon sashimi takeaway was satisfying. Next time I travel to Daecheon or Boryeong, I think I'll stop by Nokdo Susan again. If you're visiting in autumn especially, don't just focus on flounder — try the gizzard shad too. I had it as a free extra and it was better than expected, so next time I want to properly pick out some gizzard shad myself.

If you're the type who wants to relax at your lodging in Daecheon with a plate of sashimi, Nokdo Susan at Daecheonhang Fish Market, where I visited, is worth checking out. Packing sashimi to eat comfortably at your lodging turned out to be a pretty great way to travel, like I did. So tell me — if you were packing sashimi in Daecheon, would you be team flounder or team gizzard shad?

Nokdo Susan: address, prices and parking

• Name: Nokdo Susan
• Address: 334 Daecheonhang-ro, Stalls 57-58, Daecheonhang Fish Market, Boryeong-si, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea
• Parking: Use the parking lots around Daecheonhang Fish Market
• Signature items: Flounder sashimi, gizzard shad sashimi, assorted seasonal seafood
• Takeaway available
• Recommended to call ahead to confirm hours and days off