Yongwon Hoechojang, Jinhae: steamed mud crab, hard shell, lots of meat

When I came with family on September 9, I saw the mud crabs and did not get to eat them, and that stayed with me. So at about 2:40 on a Sunday afternoon I went back to Yongwon, this time with a friend. It works the same way as before. You buy seafood at Miju Susan and take it to Yongwon Hoechojang to be prepared.

At Miju Susan we bought mud crab, kuruma prawns, and spoon worm. The crab is marked at 40,000 won per kilogram, and they gave us about 1.2 kg for 40,000 won. The prawns are 20,000 won for three, and they added one more. The spoon worm was 10,000 won. They gave us sea squirt for free.

Odori is what the kuruma prawn is called here. My friend said it was a first, and I remember having eaten it before.

We ate the prawns, the spoon worm, and the sea squirt raw. I could not tell a big difference between the kuruma prawn and whiteleg shrimp. It did seem larger and a little sweeter, though. That may just have been my impression. Spoon worm is a seafood I like, and its nutty taste was satisfying. I feel that it has gotten more expensive lately.

We asked for the crab to be steamed.

It differed from blue crab in both taste and texture. The shell is very thick and hard, so it needs some work. There was plenty of meat inside. It is worth trying once. For two grown men, I would plan on 2 kg, one each, or order something else with it. That is only my rough estimate.

I am told you can fish for a bit behind the Yongwon fish market. After eating, we went to Cheonseong Port on Gadeokdo, fished for a short while, and went back to Busan. We had dinner at Pogunamujip. It was a satisfying day as a weekend outing too.