The one dish one must have in Korea (in my opinion) is definitely raw crab marinated in soy sauce. You see, I tried the dish in Singapore but it was just bad; There was a strong fishy smell. And it was also from that bad experience that I realised the dish should be enjoyed at restaurants with high ingredient crab turnover to ensure its freshness. But having said that, not everyone may know how to appreciate the dish. So I was thankful when my (ex-)crossfitters were up for it.

Unlike the other restaurants which we went (during our trip) because of the Korean food show ‘Baek Jong Won’s Top 3 Chef King’, we went to Jinmi Sikdang because it came out top in my Google search. Keke. And I must say we were lucky to secure our reservation for 4 just 2 hours prior to our visit.

Featured on Michelin Guide Korea, blue swimmer crabs from Seosan area are prepared daily with the restaurant’s special soy sauce marinade recipe. And one shouldn’t drop by too late because they only prepare just enough crabs for daily consumption.

My (ex-)crossfitters and I had a day trip earlier in the day, so it was nice to have our local guide drop us off at the restaurant since we read it could be tricky to locate the restaurant. And for first-timers, the shop is identifiable with the words 真味. Short for 真味食堂.

Upon seated, we commenced our dinner with:-

  

1) Banchan, Complimentary (above) – Side dishes. I really liked how generous they were. Just when our side dishes were finishing, the staff would automatically come by and give us more. I couldn’t stop enjoying the 2 types of seaweed offered.

  

2) 간장게장, ‎‎₩38,000 per person (above) – Raw crab marinated in soy sauce (ganjang gaejang). Such a glorious sight! We were served 1 plump crab per person, and it was so good. From the smooth meat’s texture to how well the marinade brought out the crab’s sweetness. I enjoyed the dish in whatever ways I possibly could; Meat alone, meat with the various side dishes, and not forgetting… Rice mixed with crab roe and paired with seaweed. It’s indeed a ‘rice thief’ dish!

3) 누룽지탕, Complimentary (above) – Scorched rice soup (nurungji tang). As we neared the end of our dinner, the staff came up with a pot of scorched rice soup. And it’s interesting how the dish wrapped up our meal nicely. Its bland taste provided a nice contrast to the strong flavours from the crabs. And the soup warmed our stomach up, after finishing our cold dish of soy sauce marinated raw crab. This dish sent the message to our stomachs that it’s the end of our meal. Haha.

This would be my third time having raw crab marinated in soy sauce in Korea, and I have to say Jinmi Sikdang does it very well! I still think about it even though it has been 1.5 years since our meal. I strongly recommend Jinmi Sikdang.

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