Sokcho market jeotgal: pollock salad for cold noodles, Hwangbuja

Where is Hwangbuja Jeotgal in Sokcho Jungang Market?

Hwangbuja Jeotgal (황부자젓갈) is inside Sokcho Jungang Market, not far from one of the market's several entrances, so it isn't hard to find. It isn't tucked away in a corner, so it caught my eye right away!

I absolutely love jeotgal (salted fermented seafood)~ It's a real rice thief: you just keep eating more rice. I knew Sokcho Jungang Market sells a lot of jeotgal, so I went to take a look! If you're wondering what to buy like I was, pay attention!

What kinds of jeotgal does Hwangbuja Jeotgal sell?

Hwangbuja Jeotgal has a really wide range of jeotgal, and each one shows its name, price and amount, which made choosing easy. As I kept looking, there were some I'd never seen and some I knew, so I was getting really excited!

They sell it divided into compartments like this. When there are no customers, they keep the lids closed. It's a market, so there's a lot of dust and things could fall in as people walk past, but you can really feel how much they care about cleanliness!

And every jeotgal has its name, price and amount written on it, so I didn't have to agonize over anything. They made it intuitive to see at a glance!

Looking to the side, they don't only sell jeotgal; they also sell soy sauce and drinks! Red crab soy sauce is famous for being delicious and I've tried it a few times, and they sell that famous product too! But today I came for jeotgal, so... I'll focus on jeotgal!

Can you taste jeotgal at Hwangbuja Jeotgal?

Yes, tasting is possible at Hwangbuja Jeotgal, and the owner kindly told me so first. There are tasting forks in front of the counter, and the fork quality was so good that I was a little surprised, haha.

Deciding what to try, I'd originally come thinking of pollock salad (myeongtae-hoemuchim, seasoned raw pollock), so I tasted that first!

The pollock salad was seriously delicious T_T It just melted in my mouth... it tastes like it's calling for rice.

The reason I was thinking of pollock salad is that it's summer now! I wanted to eat it with naengmyeon (cold noodles)~ So I thought, should I just buy the pollock salad? But the owner told me to try other things too and gave me squid jeotgal and matssiat jeotgal! I'd had squid jeotgal before, but matssiat jeotgal was my first time, and the owner said it's really good with white rice! I could see why!

How should you eat pollock salad with naengmyeon?

Pollock salad was the first thing I picked at Hwangbuja Jeotgal. I came thinking of it from the start, and it tasted even better than I expected, so there was no reason to hesitate, haha.

• With mul naengmyeon (cold noodles in broth), eat the pollock salad as a side dish
• With bibim naengmyeon (spicy mixed cold noodles), mix the pollock salad into the sauce and eat it as hoe naengmyeon (raw fish cold noodles)

It's going to be so good with naengmyeon. I'm really looking forward to it T_T

700g of pollock salad: was the weighing generous?

They put the pollock salad in a tub and weigh it on a scale, and they checked for 700g after taking the tub's weight into account. So including the tub, they gave me close to 800g! The tub they use is nicer than I expected, which surprised me a bit... haha. Whenever it looked a little short, they kept adding more... I was even more touched!!

What does matssiat jeotgal taste like?

Matssiat jeotgal has a fun texture that pops in your mouth. It was a jeotgal I'd never tried, so I chose it along with the pollock salad, haha. I'd never seen anything like it!

I understood why they recommended it. I felt it would also be good in bibimbap, or eaten in a lettuce wrap with grilled pork belly!!

Is Hwangbuja Jeotgal's packaging OK for long trips?

Hwangbuja Jeotgal packs jeotgal in side-dish tubs with the name written on them, together with a small ice pack. It took about 7 hours from packing to getting home, and the ice pack melted in that time but the cold stayed, so there was no problem at all~

Since the name is written on top, you can see what it is at a glance. I assumed they'd give it to me in a plastic bag, but since it comes in these tubs, I can put it straight into the fridge without transferring it! The owner said that when eating it at home, you can put it in the freezer and eat it from there~

If you're wondering which jeotgal to buy at Sokcho Jungang Market, I highly recommend Hwangbuja Jeotgal!