Why Jagalchi Market is One of the Best Places to Eat Seafood on Earth - K-Town

On the final episode of K-Town, host Matthew Kang heads to Jagalchi Market-the largest fish market in Korea, and the second largest fish market in all of Asia-to try an array of some of the freshest seafood in the world.
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[@matthewkang3731]

Thank you to everyone for watching my show, K-Town, over the past three years. It's been an incredible journey to travel around America and finally here South Korea to eat some of the most amazing Korean food and meeting some of best people in the restaurant industry. It's all been possible because of viewers and I want to thank you for your support and love. Making this season was especially challenging because it was international, but thanks to our fixer N.C., it was a whole lot easier. I first came to Jagalchi ten years ago and loved the entire experience, and since then they've added this whole new building. This was truly one of my favorite eating experiences in Korea and is something I highly recommend for anyone who comes to Busan. (Note, on the bullet train to Busan, I watched Train to Busan for the first time...not recommended if you're scared of zombies lol). Cheers everyone, and have a great day!

[@matthewkang3731]

btw, I'm still here at Eater running our Los Angeles site, so check that out and give me a hollar if you're in LA: la.eater.com. I'm also on Twitter/Instagram at @mattatouille

[@desmondsannicolas6119]

This video was great. I usually have something to pick at; perfect.

[@alexandrasmith4313]

I loved Train to Busan! So epic! Just like ktown! Much love!

[@WASN55]

Thanks! Enjoyed your show! Hope to see some of the LA food scene!

[@gregormiller4037]

..take me next time...PWEEEZ. I've only had fresh west coast sea food, which is great. Dungeness is my fav, along with the salmon, shell fish from the Bodega Bay area, and the salmon when they spawn.

[@PhiluiYYYY]

If you are a foreigner visiting Noryangjin or Jagalchi Fish markets, be advised. Some vendors WILL try to hustle you. Even the locals sometimes get hustled. 1. Make sure you know what fish you want to eat before you go. Don't let them recommend it for you. 2. Know the general per kilo price for fish you want to eat. But some fish are more expensive if it is bigger. 3. Don't take your eyes off the fish when they are gutting and filleting. Sometimes they switch the fish or they take a chunk off. 4. Some vendors will tout very aggressively, you can ignore them, don't feel sorry for looking around. 5. Some vendors will kill the fish immediately if you ask for price, do not let this happen. just walk away if this is about to happen. 6. If you want the food prepared at the market, you pay about 3000 to 4000 won per person and the rice and the spicy soup is extra.

[@crashcammer9417]

This happens in every food market in Asia haha. Just gotta be careful and go with a local .

[@ritvijpatankar731]

I think the best thing will be to visit such a place with a local friend

[@kevinc4529]

Matt’s Korean has improved so much since the beginning of the series. Keep up the good work! All these videos remind me so much of home I can’t wait to go back to the korean fish markets with my dad like I did when I was young. :D

[@vannagasm]

I really loved mr.kang he was so friendly and willing to show you all his best catches

[@jangtofu]

I live nearby Jagalchi market. You guys featured great. Well done. 감사합니다! :)

[@jdcooks5553]

Well this place just made my Korea list. Thank you Matthew and Eater!

[@sarundayo]

Bro! Here I am eating tacos and rice and you hit me with this amazing sea food video!!! *cries internally*

[@_GunpowdertheGabite]

Eating Left over Pork Stew with quail eggs and rice :(

[@derrickbolyakwa6323]

Had this with my girlfriend a few days ago! The food was excellent! It was a worthwhile experience!

[@lburrell1965]

What an amazing beautiful video ! Thanks for sharing.

[@CurryCrave]

Loving this series

[@vietster1141991]

There is a serious lack of soju

[@mohammadalsagheir5832]

Awesome ! Hopefully I can eat a meal like this one day

[@TPark-rf3lt]

Jagalchi market was by far one of my favorite spots to eat in Korea.... so amazing

[@kevincgrabb]

That is one of the major differences in Japan and Korean raw fish, hoe vs sashimi; The Koreans love that fresh chewiness, I much prefer the Japanese way. They let it sit, they let it break down a bit. This lets it become creamier and more buttery. Living in Korea, I have to remind myself that that chewiness is something I SHOULD like, but I still prefer sashimi.

[@Chinomenal]

Thank you for your input, very interesting!

[@user-wy1cf2by2u]

Yea koreans love the hoe which is bascially sashimi but without aging it. Japanese do age for their sashimi so its more flavorful and have different texture from korean hoe.

[@brozors]

I was about to write the exact same thing. The interesting thing that’s developing in Korea is the rising popularity of Japanese style sushi restaurants. Many of them are high-end omakase

[@kevincgrabb]

No, It really doesn't mean the same thing in Japan or Korea. SORRY BRO

[@academypride1]

You cannot age most white fish for sashimi - fact

[@akayrk]

Yayyy I grew up in Busan. I miss the markets - Jagalchi, Bujeon market, Kukje market, Kangtong market, and the list goes on...

[@TheAwesomeTD]

I absolutely loved Busan while I was there. The people are amazing. You have to go at least once in your life.

[@eyang7]

How much was all that seafood? I'll love to try it when I'm in Korea.

[@profesercreeper]

Love Mr. Kang

[@jeffward1106]

위대한 작품에 감사드립니다!

[@casey2732]

It's crazy!!! It's simply crazy!!!! What a feast!!!!

[@williamgates3312]

That looks really cool and really good all of it

[@TheSpencer1000]

I live in northwest florida and we had a famly friend that was manager of a restaurant called the steamer at orange beach and we used to be able to purchase the giant 150$ meal which is essentially a mountain of snowcrab, new potatoes, and some corncob for only 50$. And when I say a mountain, I mean it was a solid 2ft tall of a crab pile. It was so freaking awesome and I really wish I had access to cheap snowcrab again because its so rare that I eat it now days. Also the best way to open a crab leg is be delicate when you break it in half. Try not to break the meat inside and only snap the shell. That way when it opens you get one big piece of meat still in tack and not in pieces. The meat is still attached to that piece of ligament or whatever its called though so next you break the joint of the crab which stays attached the the ligament so you can just pull the ligament out and the meat cant come through the tiny hole the ligament gets pulled through so all the meat just stays in the half leg shell. Then if your a bit lucky the meat stays in one perfect piece that you can eat. If the meats a bit soft though it might mush in one end, but thats just when you scoop it out or break the leg shell in half vertically. I see a lot of people struggle to crack crab legs properly so I hope this helps someone. Crab is a lot more enjoyable to eat if you dont waste a ton of meat getting stuck in the shell because you dont know how to crack it or spend 15min on one leg of crab.

[@-EchoesIntoEternity-]

sometimes the crab legs dont want to cooperate and open cleanly, this is why us asian use chopsticks comes in handy 😉

[@TheSpencer1000]

@@-EchoesIntoEternity- In America we can often get these really really tiny forks which are very adorable and great for getting the meat out of crab legs. They arnt at every restaurant, but they were at the one I mentioned. The nice part about chopsticks though is always how versatile they are. In western countries you get a different utensil for everything.

[@unwired]

Thumbs up for Mr. Kang!

[@oliversonmez7507]

A place for the bucket list

[@lokman8584]

I CAN’T BREATHE WHEN IT SQUIRTED OUT OF HIS HAND

[@djkickupafuss]

I need to take a Train To Busan

[@Fongtastic711]

No you don’t. God please don’t.

[@abia3882]

great. im hungry now.

[@lukmanhafiz7772]

4th.. Damn those looks delicious

[@sltho]

u coming back right? this isn't the last season right?

[@paulwall3269]

That plate of clams and scallops is impressive!!!

[@Sakja]

I will miss you, Matt.

[@onestepza]

I could say . These are too much freshness

[@buttcheakyo]

This video was a masterpiece start to finish.

[@jonkap123]

Great vid

[@AsianTexasCowboy]

Okay, I am hungry now.

[@kevinzhang9146]

Lovely

[@thegourmetgrandadandfamily]

I love *SEAFOOD* so much and I love this video even more it's fabulous... BIG LIKE 38 from my very small Channel 😢

[@RudsterH]

I checked out your channel and you got a new sub love your videos man keep it up

[@adijayaification]

Matt what is your first language? 👍🏿😀

[@Dooly00000]

HOMETOWN LOVEEEEEEE

[@jaymach1563]

마 이기 부산이다 it’s my home town!!

[@kavitsingh315]

How much was this meal?

[@user-rp2ct6lo9z]

어부 아재 유쾌한거보소

[@jorgejoe4269]

1000 USD for all?

[@keroxnoizy3537]

Well squidward is gonna get his revenge soon..

[@siyahbeyaz9593]

The octopus or whatever its called, was a way to fresh food. The other stuff looked very delicious.

[@robertrico7598]

This is a good show.

[@gr3vis]

S1 started in 2016..Pluto years?

[@createchallenge1310]

I don't know much about korea, but what part of korea is this? The main or central? Or the south?

[@-EchoesIntoEternity-]

not sure what you mean by main or central..... Busan is the 2nd largest city located toward the southeast tip of the peninsula

[@andrewlee4231]

Busan, the second biggest city of Korea in the southern end of peninsula.

[@kokoacandy9041]

I think there is such nice place. but seafood is so expensive.

[@Smellyfoot71]

You pay for fresh quality

[@recoil53]

It's actually less expensive in places like this - they also have markets next to restaurants in HK. Since you are buying direct from a fisherman or from a guy who bought it from them that day, there are less people trying to profit. There is also no holding expenses for them, since they get paid for their inventory immediately.

[@ConnorLipke]

Seafood is a bit cheaper in Asia than America. Most food is. You could get several fish there for the price of one in America. They've got less landlocked cities, less regulation, and a stronger fishing culture so prices are a bit fairer.

[@UlasMT]

How much did that whole table set you back for? :D

[@gravex]

im confused..don't they freeze fish first to kill parasites or something before serving?

[@truthseeker7061]

@@hkim5330 it depends on how you process the fish, not all fish served fresh is a good tasting palate, aging the fish could bring out most of the umami flavor

[@larswcmc2914]

Nice

[@vincentchan1377]

Food Squad😋😋

[@davidaston2339]

6:07 So, true.....

[@hanj31]

That live octopus is bomb.

[@user-ksjvzwi7sj]

회 맛있겠다 ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

[@rumi8036]

Are they serve this thing without cooking?

[@Alternativemusic213]

Yes it’s raw

[@adjusted-bunny]

Yeah, I would eat that.

[@JPzizou]

This doesn't make me hungry apart from the soup at the end. Cool process though

[@ckim336155]

Crab wants to live, bro.

[@Qubnomil]

That stuff is no joke expensive too.

[@sharifabdelbaky5407]

What’s the name of this vendor

[@Un2Kno]

00:40 I'M SHOOK 😱

[@shemikachisholm8746]

3:31 lol what it remind u of

[@dwaynedcosta9079]

Steamed clams? I thought he said steamed hams and here I was looking for a krusty burger.

[@recoil53]

That's purely regional.

[@profesercreeper]

How good is matthew’s Korean?

[@glakebriffin2]

Not too great...def not fluent. Grammar and pronounciation is probably at an elementary level. But fsure enough to get by for day to day living.. fsure if he spoke to a native they would know right away

[@1011Challenger]

Sesame seed for a little extra richness? Didnt know sesame seed tasted "rich". Its anything but subtle even toasted in that amount

[@paintbv7696]

Big question is “What was the bill?”

[@hbee3293]

Ball park 200 Pershaps a little more but surely not in excess of 300!

[@theenvironmentalist2535]

@ThatOneAsianBroChick in usd

[@KOREANGRAYWHALE]

STEAMED CLAMS

[@Junetao916]

That guy in the yellow looks like Dumbfoundead's other dad. 😂

[@benjaminmichaels4248]

2:35 did my man just put a whole garlic in there?

[@user-wu3rg4dj4b]

Changryul

[@hansel2001]

Great video! Thanks for a great glimpse into the best Korean wet fish market. Not as classy as Tsukiji, but it holds its own. I can tell exactly when you emigrated to the US from Korea; you were 2-3 years old. Just like the the big fish being kept alive in the too-small plastic aquariums, your Korean language skills got stunted at about the 2 year kid level. Good effort!

[@Angle-gm1dq]

7:05 HE DIDN'T REACT TO THE FRIED RICE AAHAHAH

[@golfmaniac007]

cuz its the crab guts fried rice. i used to like it as a kid but the taste is polarized. you either love it or hate it.

[@kidyuki1]

I thought he was having steamed clams.

[@user-tk9bv2je7w]

Second hehe. Hungry rush in midnight...

[@user-pr2hs7zu9y]

Korean hwe/hoe 회 !!! Bangeo (bang-eo) 방어 =yellowtail fish Use korean terms/words ! 🇰🇷🖖from🇺🇸🎎🤙

[@TheSurfingSushiChef]

Oooo that darn sea squirt! Serious question, any worms?

[@alonewarrior2731]

still love tsukiji more

[@user-to5ec4qj8w]

タコ〜

[@csigouin1]

It's not pronounced Kang like bang the onomatopoeia of a gun sound. It's 강...

[@matthewkang3731]

I'm aware, it's my name too :)

[@lc9245]

Korean seafood dishes aren’t very renown because unlike Japan, Korean agriculture is better and more abundant. They can enjoy meat and all sort of vegetable frequently while the Japanese even has the wooden fish joke where you would eat white rice while starring at the fish to stimulate the feeling of actually eating the fish. As a result, Korean cuisine does not have to revolve around fishes. Their poultry and meat dishes are readily available, fishes and seafood are something to spice up the meal rather than being the sole source of protein for much of its history.

[@69elchupacabra69]

OYSTERS, CLAMS, and COCKLES!!!

[@Fajah69]

I cannot possibly afford this, I will just stick with Spam

[@andywang9507]

I was there at the market few years back. The fish are definitely fresh and alive, but the texture is chewy and tough. The sauce that's paired with it are not pleasant. Compared to Japanese style sashimi, the korean style seems inferior. In Japan they actually marinate and season the fish, hence the soft butter texture.

[@trex1448]

No they do not marinate the fish. Lol.

[@phyternl]

I hope you had a lot of help eating that.

[@alansmith888]

Train to Busan...Seafood market

[@akhilrajt]

I hate eating meat fish without cooking

[@yubemful]

This has to cost you at least $300.

[@londonjames5914]

Lol. He said nothing about the crab fried rice. Lol. #hatedit

[@bhj0909]

It could be an acquired taste, but those insides are the best part of the crab. Very prized over here.

[@wakkebe6716]

go to ndonesia

[@jaehyunlee7840]

The best place to get ripped off

[@ruffgook]

김병만이 자갈치 시장에서 일하는건 처음 알았네

[@hellruin_]

That shark head made me sad ngl

[@kingsbarns1]

Have you ever been to or heard about TSUKIJI Fish Market in Tokyo?

[@pearlsandert5114]

Kasihan ikannya

[@louiseadrien]

Third

[@myle1809]

Dang that crab legs got cut one by one while it’s alive...😨😨😨

[@connoryun]

Fun fact: that place is 10 mins away from my mom's house

[@mastercheif878]

Connor Harrison doubt it white boy

[@connoryun]

@@mastercheif878 doubt that you know I'm half korean