Scallop jeotgal tasting at a Sokcho Central Market shop: Hwangbuja

One thing you can't skip on a Sokcho trip is Sokcho Central Market (Sokcho Tourist Fish Market). Fried chicken and squid sundae get all the fame, but whenever I travel to the East Sea side, I like to pick up some jeotgal (salted seafood) to bring home.

But jeotgal is surprisingly easy to get wrong — if it's too salty, even great ingredients won't save it. I actually once tried tasting jeotgal at another market and it was so salty I walked out without buying anything.

So this time I wanted to taste properly before choosing. The place I visited, often mentioned as a top jeotgal spot at Sokcho Central Market, was Hwangbuja Jeotgal.

Hwangbuja Jeotgal location, hours and parking

• Address: 16 Jungang-ro 147beon-gil, Sokcho Tourist Fish Market 1st floor, Unit 25, Sokcho, Gangwon, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 08:00–20:30
• Parking: Sokcho Tourist Fish Market public parking lot
• Parking support: 30-minute parking discount voucher with purchases over ₩15,000
• Packing: Cold packing with ice packs available / delivery orders possible
• Octopus jeotgal, squid jeotgal, scallop jeotgal, pollock hoe-muchim, pollock roe, gaejang-ran, gajami-sikhae and more, all available for tasting

Finding Hwangbuja Jeotgal inside Sokcho Central Market

Walking through the market, you'll spot the yellow sign for Hwangbuja Traditional Jeotgal. Looking at the display case, there were way more kinds of jeotgal than I expected.

Octopus jeotgal, squid jeotgal, scallop jeotgal, pollock hoe-muchim, salted oyster, gaejang-ran, clam jeotgal, hairtail-innard jeotgal, pollock roe, and more. Some kinds made me wonder "what does this even taste like?" Prices and weights were labeled right on the display, so it was easy to compare while choosing.

Can you taste the jeotgal freely at Hwangbuja Jeotgal?

At Hwangbuja Jeotgal I could freely taste anything I was curious about without feeling awkward. You know that slightly uncomfortable moment when tasting at a market — you take a bite you're offered and it's not your taste, and you feel bad, or you feel awkward asking to try more kinds? There was almost none of that discomfort here.

Being able to comfortably taste and compare whatever I was curious about meant I didn't have to rush a decision and could pick what actually suited my taste. Even the same octopus jeotgal can be completely different from shop to shop in seasoning, salt level and texture, so I much prefer places where you can taste before buying.

Even while I was choosing, plenty of other customers came in, and every time, they were given a fresh plate and toothpick and invited to taste comfortably.

First pick: octopus jeotgal

I tasted five or six kinds, and the first one I picked was octopus jeotgal. I already love octopus jeotgal and usually try it first at any jeotgal shop. One bite in, I thought, "oh, this place is good."

The octopus wasn't mushy at all — it had that signature chewy bite. What I liked most, though, was the salt level. Of course jeotgal is salty by nature, but this wasn't a style where only the salt lingers. You could also taste the umami of the seasoning, making it perfect for spooning bit by bit over white rice. So I decided on the spot to buy the octopus jeotgal.

Second pick: scallop jeotgal

While I was debating whether to buy one more, the owner offered me a taste of the scallop jeotgal. I don't usually eat scallop jeotgal much, but this turned out to be an unexpected win.

The very first bite had this crunchy, springy texture — a completely different charm from the octopus jeotgal. The scallop meat had that distinctive chew, so it got more interesting the more I chewed, and the sweet-spicy seasoning matched well. In the end I bought the scallop jeotgal in addition to what I originally had in mind.

Comparing the two I bought this time, personally:

• Octopus jeotgal = a chewy, familiar rice-thief everyone would like
• Scallop jeotgal = a menu I'd recommend if you like a crunchy texture

That was roughly the feeling.

Best part: Hwangbuja's jeotgal isn't too salty

If I had to pick one thing I was most satisfied with at Hwangbuja Jeotgal, it would be the salt level. As I mentioned earlier, whenever I come to a market on the East Sea side, I tend to buy jeotgal.

But I once tried to buy jeotgal at another market and everything I tasted was so salty I ended up buying nothing. Jeotgal is naturally salty food, but if the salt is too overpowering, you end up eating it a few times at home and then it just sits in the fridge.

Salty in the way jeotgal should be, but not so salty it's overwhelming.

Hwangbuja Jeotgal hit exactly that balance, which I liked. Especially when spooned over rice, it wasn't just the salt that stood out — you could taste the texture of the ingredients and the seasoning together. So if you're like me and don't love overly salty jeotgal, I'd recommend tasting before you buy.

Weighed and packed on the spot when you order

Once I chose my jeotgal after tasting, they weighed and packed it right in front of me. I liked seeing them put it on the scale directly, and they packed generously, more than the requested weight.

Since this is food you have to carry around while traveling, packing matters too. They gave me cold packing to make it easy to carry, which made getting around much more convenient. Especially if you're traveling from Sokcho back to the Seoul metropolitan area in warm weather, packing like this is genuinely reassuring.

Parking discount with purchases of 15,000 won or more

After purchasing, they also gave me a traditional market/shopping district parking discount voucher. You tend to end up staying longer than expected at Sokcho Central Market once you start browsing, so it's worth grabbing the parking discount.

Where to buy jeotgal at Sokcho Central Market

Sokcho Central Market has so much street food that it's easy to only buy things meant to eat right away, like fried chicken or sulbbang (rice cake bread). But if you want to keep enjoying food from Sokcho a bit longer after the trip is over, jeotgal is a pretty good shopping pick.

At Hwangbuja Jeotgal in particular, I could comfortably taste several kinds without pressure — the octopus jeotgal was chewy with tasty seasoning, and the scallop jeotgal had a crunchy texture that was better than expected, which is why I ended up adding it after tasting. Above all, what I liked most was that it wasn't too salty.

Everyone has different preferences for salt level and seasoning style with jeotgal, so rather than committing to a specific item, I'd recommend visiting Hwangbuja Jeotgal and tasting a couple of kinds you're curious about. You might end up hooked on scallop jeotgal like I did, even if you never planned to buy it, haha.

If you're looking for a great jeotgal shop at Sokcho Central Market or a side dish to bring home while traveling in Sokcho, it's worth stopping by to taste :)