13.343 King Crab and More

Cycle 13 – Item 343

14 (Wed) December 2022

King Crab and More

4.0

from Nolbu Susan

at Areumdaun Hangang

(Garak Mall)

-Garak, Songpa, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with the Family, Mom + Dad, Uncle M

Garak Sijang (가락시장) is a food market.  At 540,000 square meters (10 American football fields), it’s the biggest market in Korea dedicated to food, comprising 55% of the entire country’s public wholesale food trade.  Different sectors offer fruits and vegetables (70%), seafoods (15%), meats (15%) – and meat by-products (see 12.051 Battle: Blood!).  For retail operations, Garak Mall hosts hundreds (thousands?) of shops and restaurants.

When we lived in Oksu, we used to frequent Noryangjing Wholesale Seafood Market, which is less than 1/10 the size of the seafood section here, but Garak Mall is now much closer, very close in fact.

Located along Songpa-daero, the main thoroughfare from Jamsil (Lotte Tower is visible in the far background at frame right) down to Seongnam.

Nolbu Susan (놀부수산) is a seafood shop.  Offers a wide range of fresh fish and shellfish, including king crabs.

Whereas the types of items at most of the shops are pretty much the same, the key is to develop a relationship with one of the them, so that repeat visits will pay-off with choicer selection, lower prices, and more freebies.

Located on the 1st floor of Garak Mall, unit B23.

On this day, the price of king crab was 100,000 won per kilo.  For 2 crabs each weighing about 3 kg, the total price was 600,000 won.  Compare that to the year 2010, when a 3.8 kg king crab cost 160,000 won, 40,000 won per kilo (see 1.357 King Crab).

Previously sourced from Russia, king crabs are now imported from Norway, making them far more expensive.

Areumdaun Hangang (아름다운 한강) is a Korean restaurant.  Offers an odd mix of grilled beef (“Korean BBQ”) and seafood dishes, as well as preparation of seafoods brought up from the shops below.  The seating charge is 5,000 won per person (vs 2,000 won back in 2010).

Located on the 3rd floor of Garak Mall, unit 161.

Upon purchase of the food, the shop took us to the restaurant and handed everything over to them.  The kitchen plated the raw stuff, and steamed the clams and crabs.

With tables and chairs, much more comfortable than the floor seating in Noryangjin (see for example 6.088 King Crab) (though I hear that Noryangjin has in recent years moved into a new building with modernized restaurants).

My uncle, out of the blue, offered to treat our family to king crab dinner.  So there we were.

The food was excellent.  After a couple years of ordering in (see most recently 13.220 Steamed Lobster), it was so liberating to eat at the source, when the food is still steaming hot.

The legs came cut for easy/clean eating – at other places, someone (usually me) has to cut the legs at the table with scissors.
Fat, juicy, sweet.

(See also FOOD GLOSSARY)

(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)

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