Ansan seafood bar for raw shrimp and butter-grilled heads: Susan Jang

While looking for a good place in Gojan-dong, Ansan, to have fresh seafood with a drink, I visited Susan Jang (수산장). It is conveniently located near Ansan Culture Square, and I could enjoy everything from raw shrimp sashimi to assorted seafood and kushikatsu together. The raw shrimp sashimi and butter-grilled shrimp-head combination was especially memorable, so let me introduce it to anyone looking for a bar or izakaya in Gojan-dong, Ansan!

Susan Jang near Ansan Culture Square: atmosphere and seating

Susan Jang is near Ansan Culture Square, so it is also in a good spot for a second stop after dinner.

The place was a small izakaya with an overall cozy atmosphere. There were around six four-person tables and about two two-person tables. Inside, there were also around four counter seats, which looked nice for a visit as a pair. I visited on a Sunday evening, and by around 7 p.m., it filled up quickly.

True to a seafood specialty restaurant, the aquarium along one side of the restaurant was full of live seafood. Since they prepare ordered dishes right away, it felt like a place that puts importance on freshness.

A menu spanning seafood to ramen

The menu has quite a variety, including seasonal autumn fish and seafood, sashimi, sides, and grilled fish. It is a nice setup for focusing on seafood, then finishing with fried food or ramen!

The complimentary bar snack was grilled flounder. Isn’t it amazing that grilled fish comes as the basic snack?

It was here, and then it was gone. Maybe because it had just come off the grill, the fish was moist yet pleasantly chewy. It was mild and nutty, making it easy to snack on with drinks.

For drinks that day, I chose shomaek (₩11,000). Shomaek is a kind of somaek made by mixing Japanese shochu with draft beer. The coolness of the beer and shochu’s distinctive bitter edge made it go down more cleanly than I expected.

Springy raw shrimp sashimi and butter-grilled shrimp heads

Raw shrimp sashimi (₩26,000). I ordered this seasonal autumn menu item. You cut off and eat the body with scissors, then can order the remaining shrimp heads as butter-grilled shrimp heads. Proof that they were raw shrimp: they were so fresh that they kept twitching even after arriving on the plate. I did feel a little sorry for them, but...😂

The flesh was definitely springy and chewy, with not even a hint of fishiness, and a subtle sweetness came through the more I chewed. Dipping it generously in the house spicy sauce added a spicy note to the shrimp’s mild flavor, making it a combination I kept reaching for without feeling heavy.

And if you order the raw shrimp sashimi, I definitely recommend adding the butter-grilled shrimp heads. For an extra ₩3,000, they cook the remaining heads in butter. The rich butter flavor had soaked in, and a slightly sweet seasoning made them nutty with a strong savory punch. Personally, these butter-grilled shrimp heads were even more memorable than the raw shrimp sashimi. I think I would order the raw shrimp sashimi again just for this menu, haha.

Trying a little of everything with the mini assorted seafood platter

The next menu item was the mini assorted seafood platter (₩42,000). It comes with three types of seafood and three types of aged sashimi: stone sea squirt, abalone, sea cucumber, rockfish, flounder, and red sea bream. As a mini size, it was a great arrangement for two people to try several kinds of seafood. It looked like a good choice when you want small portions of several things rather than a lot of just one item.

The stone sea squirt was lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. That salty seasoning brought out its distinctive aroma and rich taste of the sea.

I also poured a shot of soju into the sea squirt shell to make stone sea squirt soju, haha. Isn’t this part of the fun of having seafood with drinks? 😂

The abalone had a lovely crisp bite, with a subtle nutty aroma from a little sesame oil. The sea cucumber, as always, was appealing for its distinctive crunchy yet chewy texture. If you want to enjoy a variety of fresh seafood, this seems like quite a good option.

The sashimi selection was red sea bream, flounder, and rockfish. The slices were neither too thin nor too thick, making them easy to eat, and everything tasted clean and fresh.

The red sea bream was prepared masukkawa-style, a skin-on sashimi technique. Whether the skin had been torched in the process, it also had a subtle smoky aroma, so it felt a little different from typical red sea bream sashimi. That smoky flavor suited it surprisingly well.

Finishing with assorted kushikatsu and ramen with two eggs

Since I did not want to eat only seafood all night, I also ordered the assorted kushikatsu (₩10,900). It is a fried assortment with four kinds of fish and potatoes. The batter was nicely crisp, and the fish was mostly white fish. Dipping it in the shichimi mayonnaise served alongside added a nutty, slightly peppery flavor that went well with the fried food. It was reasonably priced too, making it a nice extra dish to add midway through the meal.

I finished with ramen with two eggs! It came with two soft-set eggs, so it was nice to share one each, haha. With chili powder in the broth, it had a pleasantly spicy kick, and having it after the seafood and fried food felt so comforting. It also seems like it would be a good hangover-recovery dish after drinking.

Final thoughts on Susan Jang in Gojan-dong, Ansan

Susan Jang in Gojan-dong, Ansan, is an izakaya where you can enjoy a wide range of bar food in one place, from raw shrimp sashimi and assorted seafood to sashimi and kushikatsu. The springy raw shrimp sashimi was great, but personally, the butter-grilled shrimp heads I added were the most impressive. Since the restaurant is small and fills up quickly on weekend evenings, I recommend arriving a little early. If you are looking for a Gojan-dong bar near Ansan Culture Square for fresh seafood and a drink, it is worth visiting at least once.

• A small restaurant with a cozy atmosphere
• Raw shrimp sashimi and assorted seafood are the highlights
• Definitely add the butter-grilled shrimp heads
• Near Ansan Culture Square, so it is great as a second stop
• It may be full on weekend evenings