When it comes to travel, the last thing you want is to get sick in a foreign country. So I am always careful when eating street food and things that are raw.
I like seafood and decided to give Ganjang Gejang a try in this trip. Gejang means marinated crabs in soy sauce and you eat them raw. “Ganjang” is added to Gejang to differentiate it from another raw crab dish prepared with chilli pepper seasoning. The tradition of eating marinated raw crabs dated back hundreds of years in Korea. I think that back in the old days when there aren’t that many choices of food available year round, preserved foods are common around the world. And if you were not living by the sea, you would not have the privilege to eat fresh raw seafood. This tradition has made some of the cuisines unique.
The marinated raw crab cuisine is pretty complicated to prepare. The blue crabs have to be marinated with the right sauce with the right ingredients: ganjang, salt, onions, garlic, ginger, cheongyang peppers, water, etc. Otherwise, it will be either too salty or the crabs will not ferment properly. There is a famous Ganjang Gejang alley in Sinsa-dong of Seoul where there are a few restaurants on the same street that offers the raw crab cuisine.
Staying in Myeongdong of Seoul, I was recommended a very good Korean restaurant in the area, two minutes away from my hotel. Perfect!
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