What to order
Get the Hong-ge Do-si-rak — 1kg of live red snow crab steamed and fully broken down for you. Add the ₩2,000 crab-shell fried rice at the end; it soaks up everything left in the shell.
Vincent · South Korea
The story
Before crabs, the owner ran an ice cream and coffee shop in this same market spot — her first business. After a brutal Children's Day making 300+ servings solo, a cousin in the crab distribution business offered a lifeline. That pivot — from ice cream to hong-ge — launched what is now a 7-year crab institution inside the market.
“We put everything into making it easy. The cooler bag, the chopsticks, the gloves — we don't cut corners on anything that makes eating simpler.”
Owner, Yes Su-san
What they stand for
Only crabs with 85% or higher meat yield make it to the lunchbox. Below that, the crab gets broken down for toppings and fried rice ingredients. The boats go out from Sokcho port for 3-4 days — longer trips than the Goseong fleet — bringing back fuller, higher-quality catch.
Behind the signature
The hong-ge dosirak was born from a simple insight: tourists love crab but hate the shell work. So the owner invented a format where every crab is expertly broken down into portable, easy-to-eat pieces. The lunchbox made crab accessible — and became the shop's identity.
Local tip
Leftover crab shells? Boil them into ramyeon broth at home. The base quality is good enough to carry a whole pot. The owner also suggests pairing with wine — the sweetness of hong-ge works surprisingly well.
Seasonal note
July to late September is fishing ban season. The shop stays open year-round using specially preserved stock. Snow crab (dae-ge) peaks in May — that's when the meat is richest.
For travelers
Communication happens through translation apps. A group of travelers from Singapore discovered the shop when one person bought a lunchbox, tasted it, looked up wide-eyed, and brought back the entire group.
