Jeonju crab restaurant with soy-marinated seafood: Hanjamae

On this trip to Jeonju, I visited Hanjamae Ganjang Gejang Jeonju Hanok Village Main Branch, located near Gyeonggijeon!

Honestly, neither my husband nor I are the type to actively seek out seafood or even particularly like it, haha. We are sensitive to seafood's distinctive fishiness and overly ocean-like smell, so a crab-marination specialty restaurant would usually be one of the first things we'd rule out from a travel itinerary.

But while looking through social media and Naver reviews, this place kept coming up as a Jeonju favorite for ganjang gejang (soy-marinated raw crab), and the food looked unbelievably delicious! I was completely drawn in by the generous platter of marinated seafood and had this feeling: “This place somehow won't be fishy—it'll be good.” So we decided to give it a try, haha.

A soy-marinated crab meal near Gyeonggijeon-gil

The address is 23 Gyeonggijeon-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, Jeonbuk, South Korea. It is right near Gyeonggijeon-gil in Jeonju Hanok Village, so it fits perfectly into a walk around the village for lunch or dinner!

The explanation written on the wall made it clear how proud they are of their Gomsou fish soy sauce. It says they use no chemical soy sauce, preservatives, or artificial coloring, and cook with sun-dried salt from the Gomsou Salt Farm in Buan and patented traditionally fermented fish soy sauce. Rather than an artificial sweet-salty seasoning taste, they say it develops a deep sauce flavor through natural fermentation, so even before eating I felt oddly reassured and even more excited, haha.

Soy-marinated seafood set meal: what comes with it and the price

After looking over the menu, we ordered the signature soy-marinated seafood set meal! It is ₩28,000 per person, and it is seriously packed. Along with blue crab, the plate comes loaded with shrimp, abalone, and soy-marinated salmon—like an all-star seafood lineup. Neat side dishes, seaweed soup, and egg rice topped with a gorgeous soft yolk rounded out the beautifully set table, haha.

The moment everything was laid out on the table, all we could do was gasp at the spectacular spread! Orange roe inside the crab shell, plump crab meat, glossy soy-marinated salmon, bouncy shrimp, and abalone scored with close cuts... There was no way I could not take photos, haha.

Honestly, until taking that first bite, I was a little nervous, thinking, “What if it's fishy?” But as soon as we tasted it, both our eyes flew open, haha.

Deep, gently seasoned soy sauce with no fishiness

It was honestly amazing—there was not even a trace of fishiness. Even though I am picky about seafood smells, there was no aversion at all; all I could taste was the ingredients' freshness and natural sweetness?!

Usually when you go for soy-marinated crab, the sauce is so salty that you end up piling on rice or constantly gulping water, right? Here, the soy sauce was not salty at all! It was gently seasoned, yet had the deep flavor distinctive to the patented fish soy sauce, to the point that I could spoon up the sauce itself without it feeling heavy. Since it was not overpowering, it went down so easily without becoming tiring, haha.

How to mix soft-yolk egg rice with crab meat

The rice here is not just a plain bowl of rice—it comes as egg rice topped with a pretty soft-fried egg, and that is truly a genius move, haha.

Squeeze in plenty of crab meat, drizzle over two or three spoonfuls of soy sauce, then pop the yolk and mix it all together... It is, literally, the ultimate rice thief, haha. Put a spoonful of rice on the crisp gim (roasted seaweed), add a little wasabi, wrap it up, and you can keep eating forever.

This side dish had a spicy, sweet, pleasantly sharp seasoning soaked right in, making it the perfect balance to nibble on between bites of the soy-marinated seafood.

Abalone, shrimp, soy-marinated salmon, and crab-shell mixed rice

The abalone had soy sauce subtly soaked into every score and an incredible chewy texture, while the shrimp stayed wonderfully bouncy and popped with every bite!

The tender salmon was enhanced with a salty, subtle savory depth and simply melted away in my mouth.

The final highlight was, of course, crab-shell mixed rice! I scraped together every bit of tomalley hiding in the corners of the shell and mixed it with rice, and the nutty richness absolutely exploded.

Just press lightly with your hand and pale crab meat and rich roe come tumbling out. The crab was packed full of meat, with a truly satisfying bite.

Doesn't it say everything that two people who normally do not like seafood scraped our plates clean, leaving not a grain of rice or piece of crab meat behind? Haha. Afterward, we were both patting our bellies and repeatedly saying, “This is the real deal—a genuinely great restaurant.” I would even call it the number-one ganjang gejang restaurant I have ever had in my life!

When you think of Jeonju, there is so much food—bibimbap, kongnamul-gukbap (bean sprout soup with rice), hansik set meals, and street food. If you have already tried most of the famous foods, or have visited Jeonju several times, I strongly recommend stopping by Hanjamae Ganjang Gejang Jeonju Hanok Village Main Branch instead of choosing the obvious menu! Even people who do not usually enjoy seafood can finish a bowl of rice here without worrying about fishiness, so it is great for a date with friends or a partner, and equally suitable for a family meal with your parents. If you are planning a trip to Jeonju Hanok Village, be sure to experience this hearty, neatly presented soy-marinated seafood set meal, haha!