A Local's Guide to Fresh Seafood in Busan: Avoiding Tourist Traps at Jagalchi Market
The old stereotype that you *have* to eat raw fish when you visit Busan? That's long gone.
But, let's be honest, this *ajeossi* (middle-aged man) still wants to eat *hoe* (raw fish).
However, I definitely don't want to get ripped off.
So, after some research, I head to...
Milyang Trading (밀양상회)
It's located on the first floor of the Jagalchi Shindonga Market (Shindonga Raw Fish Center).
Relatively easy to find.
There's not much aggressive hawking, so it's a comfortable experience.
I sit down and ask how the ordering system works.
They have courses for ₩30,000, ₩40,000, and ₩50,000 per person.
Since it's two adults and one child, I briefly wondered what to do...
They suggested ordering two ₩40,000 courses and they'd take care of the portions accordingly.
Sounds good to me!
It starts with side dishes (banchan).
Sea cucumber and abalone.
Live octopus (sannakji).
For some reason, our kids have always loved live octopus since they were little.
The freshness is still alive and kicking!
The kid gets excited and starts documenting everything since their favorite dishes came out.
We got rockfish, sea bass, flounder, gizzard shad (jeon-eo), and *mulchi* (a local fish).
The slices are so thick, you feel like you could get full just eating the raw fish itself.
It's seriously substantial.
Before leaving for Busan, I watched an episode of "Street Food: Asia" on Netflix where Matsushige-sensei said that *hoe* goes well with Kyushu soy sauce.
And they had it!
Maybe it's just me, but the soy sauce tasted even better.
Milyang Trading is also known as a *gimbap* (seaweed rice roll) 맛집 (delicious restaurant) for many people.
The rice is lightly seasoned, and even though there aren't a lot of ingredients, it's delicious.
The kid devoured it in an instant.
The meal, what the owner called *imo-kase* (auntie's choice of assortment), ends with grilled fish (I forgot the name of the fish).
All enjoyed with two bottles of Good Day soju.
It was a very meaningful meal.
What they say about Milyang Trading is true: if you go there when you're clueless at Jagalchi Market, at least you won't get ripped off.
You HAVE to eat *hoe* when you go to Busan!
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