Sokcho Fish Market

Warning, if you're not a fan of seafood, you love the movie Finding Nemo or you are turned off by all things gooey, these photos may not be for you!  

Nate and I visited the Sokcho Fish Market on our vacation.  Sokcho is on the east sea and is known for fresh seafood caught early in the morning and then sold and served up the same day.  It's the place to go for hwae (raw fish eaten simply with spicy sauce or rice).  I was wearing flip flops and found that the floor of the market was incredibly slippery.  I skated around knowing that the consequences of falling into someone's display were a little grim.  You too may need to brace yourself.  These next photos are not pretty!

Okay, so these ones weren't bad looking.  They were displayed with rough salt sprinkled over their gills.

This gelatinous monster was less pretty.  Imagine him swimming up to you at the beach! 
One of the most intense jobs in the market was being done by a small woman who was scraping all the gel-like skin off these enormous fish. 

eek!

Fish roe and other innards for sale. 

Octopi caught fresh this morning!  You could also purchase live octopi.  I didn't like watching the live octopi, bundled in yellow nets, sitting in shallow water.  Their breathing seemed very human.  Their bodies rise and fall when they take in water and blow it out again. 

On the right, whole squid. On the left, cleaned squid. 

There were sea snails (whelks?).

Shrimp.

And a variety of tube worm, commonly eaten raw and still squirming. 

There were some beautiful looking crabs. 

And Nate thought these ones looked like fish-eels. 

Some pretty serious butchering.  Behind each stall, a man or woman cleans and guts all the fish purchases.  If you didn't like fish before, these picture will not have helped you!