Dried seafood shop in Sokcho for squid puffs and pollock: Yangsim

Why we stopped at Yangsim Dried Seafood for Sokcho drinking snacks and gifts

Yangsim Dried Seafood (양심건어물) is a dried seafood shop at the entrance of Sokcho Central Market. We stopped by on the first day of our Sokcho trip to buy dried snacks for the guesthouse and some gifts. Whenever I come to Sokcho or head home, I always swing by the market to pick up dried seafood gifts for people haha. This time I was traveling with friends, a married couple, so I also wanted dried snacks for the night, and we hit the market on day one.

Where is Yangsim Dried Seafood in Sokcho Central Market?

Park at Sokcho Central Market, walk in, and you will find Yangsim Dried Seafood right at the entrance. It is directly across from the sul-ppang (liquor bread) place that people queue up for, so it is easy to spot. Haha, a dried seafood shop called "Yangsim," meaning "conscience"! The name alone makes you trust it. The blue sign really stands out too, so finding it at the market entrance was no trouble.

What can you taste at the Yangsim Dried Seafood sampling counter?

The tasting counter at Yangsim Dried Seafood has a whopping 30 or so kinds of dried seafood, generously laid out so you can try before you buy. As you would expect from a Sokcho dried seafood hotspot, even the sampling is next level! Haha. There are so many kinds and each tastes a little different, so being able to taste and choose is great. You are not buying with your eyes alone, you pick what suits your taste, so the worry of a bad buy shrinks~

Squid paired with gopchang gim seaweed

At the tasting counter they told us squid is good wrapped in roasted gopchang seaweed (thick, crinkly seaweed), so we tried it... wow, this combo is seriously good! Hahaha. The roasted seaweed is crispy and full of nutty flavor. It has a different charm from eating squid alone~ Best of all, there is nothing tough about it, so it is easy to eat. The chewy squid plus crispy, nutty seaweed is a perfect match!

Tasting the butter squid

I was curious about the butter squid too, so I sampled it~ Oh ho! Nutty and a little salty, it is just right as a beer snack. Hahaha.

Yangsim Dried Seafood reportedly selects only good raw ingredients at the source, packs them, and cuts out middle distribution steps to sell at an honest price. Carefully picking good ingredients and shortening the supply chain makes me trust it even more. Haha.

What dried seafood does Yangsim Dried Seafood sell?

Yangsim Dried Seafood has a huge range, from squid products to mutae (dried pollock, "meoktae"), hwangtae (yellow dried pollock), seaweed and anchovies. This is just what I saw this time.

• Ikasomen (squid noodles), nude squid, squid mouth, squid puffs, jangjok (squid tentacles)
• Electric-grilled shredded squid, charcoal-grilled squid, short squid legs, pastry squid
• Cheese (squid) sticks, squid jerky, ppaeppae squid (thin squid sticks)
• Soy sauce meoktae, spicy meoktae, butter meoktae
• Grilled shredded filefish, Banseok-roasted dried fish, shredded monkfish, fish skin crisps
• Roasted gopchang seaweed, black sesame sticks, gim corn snacks
• Seaweed (miyeok), anchovies, fresh gamtae (seaweed) and more

I only learned this time that dried seafood comes in so many kinds. Hahaha.

From light nibbles to beer snacks to gift options, the range is wide, so just browsing is fun. Prices are also clearly displayed, which makes it easy to compare item by item. I liked that the prices are reasonable too, so you can pick without pressure.

How much is 500g of Yongdae-ri dried pollock strips?

Yangsim's naturally dried Yongdae-ri hwangtae-chae (dried pollock strips) came in two sizes, 300g and 500g, and the 500g was ₩27,000. I wanted to make hwangtae haejangguk (dried pollock hangover soup) at home, so on the last day of the trip I went back to Sokcho market and bought the 500g. Compared with other places the price was on the cheaper side, which I liked. On top of that, the owner threw in a freebie, so I finished the purchase in a great mood~

The 4 dried seafood snacks we bought for drinks at our accommodation

After tasting at Yangsim Dried Seafood in Sokcho Central Market, the drinking snacks we picked were four: roasted gopchang seaweed, squid puffs, Sokcho squid and pastry squid. Back at the guesthouse we finally pulled out the snacks! Haha.

The amounts were generous and the prices reasonable, so I was super happy. Haha. There are so many kinds that you can pick to your taste, and being able to taste before buying makes it very satisfying.

On top of that, the owner of Yangsim Dried Seafood gave us gim corn snacks and candy as a freebie. Little touches like this really get me~ Haha.

Squid puffs: crispy, not chewy

Yangsim's squid puffs are a crispy, nutty squid snack that is not tough like regular dried squid. It was my first time trying them~ haha, and maybe because it is something Yangsim sells with confidence, they tasted fresh. They seem relatively easy to enjoy even for people with weak teeth. The nutty flavor is appealing, so they work as a drinking snack and also as a snack when you are a bit hungry. Hahaha. They are a frozen-storage product, so the shelf life is fairly generous and you do not have to finish them all at once.

Yangsim pastry squid 300g: a soju snack by the sea

The Yangsim pastry squid is 300g, a pretty generous amount. We took it out to the beach in front of the guesthouse and ate it as a soju snack. Hahaha. Slowly chewing squid while looking at the sea is a treat in itself!! You taste the nutty butter and a salty kick on top, so you keep reaching for more. The nutty flavor builds the more you chew, so it is perfect with soju!

Roasted gopchang gim seaweed wrapped around rice at home

Yangsim's roasted gopchang seaweed is thicker than regular seaweed and has an appealing crispy texture. I tried it after getting home, haha. Put it in your mouth and a nutty flavor spreads, with that deep sea aroma gopchang seaweed is known for. Wrapped around rice, the seaweed's nuttiness blends nicely with the mild rice. Especially when I added jeotgal (salted seafood) I bought in Sokcho... wow, this combo is just insanely delicious!

Is Yangsim Dried Seafood in Sokcho worth a return visit?

Yangsim Dried Seafood has lots of variety, lets you taste before you buy, keeps prices reasonable, and the owner was generous too! On my next Sokcho trip I plan to buy my dried seafood gifts at Yangsim Dried Seafood again.