Why Locals Love 'Gaetgeot' (Marine Mudflat Delicacies)
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
In South Korea’s southern coastal towns—Gangjin, Haenam, and Yeongam—local seafood from the mudflats (gaetgeot) defines regional cuisine. In Gangjin, 75-year-old Lee Sun-im has spent decades catching jjangttungeo (mudskippers) and cooks a hearty jjangttungeo soup whose rich broth comes from ground fish she personally harvests. In Yeongam, the famous Dokcheon octopus (dokcheon nakji) restaurants, led by the long-standing Dokcheon Sikdang, serve galnaktang (beef short rib and octopus stew), a regional specialty created in the 1980s that uses only beef bones for a clean broth. In Haenam, winter brings large mackerel (samchi) prized at over 70 cm—locally eaten raw as samchi sashimi—often wrapped in gim (seaweed) with rice, pickled radish, and sauce. These dishes reflect local traditions, seasonal catches, and family-run eateries that attract food shows and visitors seeking authentic southern Korean seafood.
