Sokcho market salted seafood shopping: Hwangbuja Jeotgal

The myeongnanjeot I absolutely wanted from Sokcho Central Market

Is there something you always bring home when you visit a market near the sea? On this Sokcho trip, I had exactly three things written down as market must-buys 👀

• Tender semi-dried squid
• Chewy seaweed ear mushrooms
• Salty myeongnanjeot (seasoned pollock roe)

I had written that I absolutely had to buy these, and ⭐️myeongnanjeot⭐️ even got a star because it is soul food for both my mom and me 🫶🏻

In Incheon, I often went to Sorae Port and Yeonan Pier to buy salted seafood, but I could not skip Central Market on this Sokcho trip, right? After searching hard, I found Hwangbuja Jeotgal (황부자젓갈), a beloved salted seafood shop in Sokcho Central Market!

It is directly opposite the famous Sokcho Central Market sulppang (makgeolli bread) shop, so it was perfect for stopping by after buying sulppang on the last day of the trip. I packed up myeongnanjeot, broken-piece myeongnanjeot, and scallop jeotgal nice and properly ❣️ I will even share the best way to eat scallop jeotgal—mixed with fragrant sesame oil and loads of sliced Cheongyang chili, then plopped onto nurungji sungnyung (scorched-rice tea)—and a microwave egg custard recipe with broken-piece myeongnanjeot that turns out baby-bottom smooth!

Only a week after getting home from the trip, we were already nearing the bottom of everything, so here I am writing about Hwangbuja Jeotgal with such, such regret 🥲💦

Hwangbuja Jeotgal location and parking

Hwangbuja Jeotgal is right there when you turn around and look to the right from Gangwondo Makgeolli Sulppang, the most popular sulppang shop in Sokcho Central Market! I recommend stopping by after buying your bread, haha.

For purchases of ₩15,000 or more, they provide a 30-minute parking voucher for the Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market public parking lot! Parking support at a market is such a precious thing..❣️ For reference, public parking is ₩500 per 30 minutes, with a daily maximum of ₩6,000!

Hours are daily from 8:00am to 8:30pm, and takeout packing is available. The men's and women's restrooms are separate and located outside. 🅿️

Just look at that true local-favorite vibe..! They told me they have held this prime spot in Sokcho Central Market for more than 10 years already 👀

They also sold sikhye (sweet rice drink), sweet-pumpkin sikhye, juice, and flavorful red snow crab soy sauce,

Salted seafood on display, from myeongnanjeot to flatfish sikhae

Naturally, salted seafood was the star! From galchi sokjeot (fermented innards of cutlassfish), perfect with grilled meat, to clam jeotgal and myeongnanjeot,

There were octopus jeotgal, scallop jeotgal, squid jeotgal, seed jeotgal, and even flatfish sikhae (fermented fish with grains), all looking so gorgeous and set out where you could see them immediately. I loved being able to choose while looking at everything with my own eyes!

Prices for myeongnanjeot, broken-piece myeongnanjeot, and scallop jeotgal

Among all these varieties, we chose myeongnanjeot, broken-piece myeongnanjeot, and scallop jeotgal!

We got 600g of myeongnanjeot for ₩20,000, 500g of broken-piece myeongnanjeot for ₩15,000, plus just ₩10,000 worth of scallop jeotgal!

They packed the containers down so generously! We got more than the weight we ordered..❤️ Can you see how the lid would not even close? 🫶🏻

Our itinerary was Busan → Incheon, so I loved that they packed everything carefully in an insulated bag like this! 👍🏻

Purchase complete, and so plentiful! ❤️

They also offer nationwide delivery, by the way, so we are going to place an order the moment we finish everything 👀❤️

How to season myeongnanjeot and scallop jeotgal deliciously

Myeongnanjeot

Portion it out, snip only what you will eat right away with scissors, drizzle on sesame oil, and sprinkle sesame seeds—it is so good ❣️ I recommend freezing the remaining roe ❄️

Scallop jeotgal

Snip it up with scissors, then mix in chopped Cheongyang chili and sesame oil—heaven..♥️ We love spicy food, so we added quite a lot of chili; the little bite and the heat were exactly our taste! 💘

For reference, I absolutely love scallop jeotgal on sungnyung or porridge! They go together perfectly 🫶🏻

How to make microwave myeongnanjeot egg custard

• Put five or six cut pieces of myeongnanjeot into a microwave-safe dish.
• Crack in 2 eggs.
• Lightly mash the myeongnanjeot and gently mix it with the eggs first.

• Add about 250ml of purified water.

• Add about 1 teaspoon of beef Dashida seasoning and mix well. Do not add too much, because the myeongnanjeot makes it very salty already!!

• Cover the top with plastic wrap, then poke a small hole in it.

• Microwave for about 4 minutes 30 seconds at 1000W. Timing can vary by microwave, so I recommend microwaving for 4 minutes first, checking whether it is cooked, then adding more time if needed!

And there you have it: this gorgeous-looking egg custard, done-! ♥️ It takes just 3 minutes to put together and only needs the microwave, but it is salty, packed with umami, and makes a whole bowl of rice disappear in no time ♥️

Hwangbuja Jeotgal final thoughts

If you are looking for a great salted seafood shop in Sokcho Central Market, food to give your parents after a Sokcho trip, a place to buy varieties such as squid jeot, flatfish sikhae, and myeongnanjeot, a salted seafood shop to visit every time you go to Sokcho, or truly excellent jeotgal full of umami and homemade care rather than just saltiness, I recommend Hwangbuja Jeotgal in Sokcho Central Market!

I love myeongnanjeot so much that I have tried a huge number of products and market-style jeotgal, and Hwangbuja Jeotgal was satisfying enough to make my personal top-three favorite salted seafood shops!

Honestly, because jeotgal is made with strong seasoning, you might not notice even if the ingredients were not especially good. But what I felt while eating Hwangbuja Jeotgal was, “Ah, they really use excellent raw ingredients.” As I mentioned several times, not many places pass my mom's picky palate, but this salted seafood shop got an immediate thumbs-up from her! How about hunting for delicious Sokcho food at Hwangbuja Jeotgal on your Sokcho trip? ✨