Came to Yeosu? Best Eat Some Seodaehoe Before You Go

Ask any Yeosu local what you absolutely must eat here, and nine times out of ten, seodaehoe-muchim comes up first. Riding the cable car around Odongdo and taking in the night sea view are great, but if you want to truly taste Yeosu, you can't skip this one dish. It's made by tossing a flatfish called seodae in sweet and tangy chojang sauce, then mixing it generously into rice or noodles — a familiar flavor that's been on the table since childhood for anyone born and raised here. Sudal, who's been swimming these Yeosu waters for 50 years, is here to walk you through why seodaehoe-muchim is Yeosu's signature dish.

So, What Kind of Fish Is Seodae?

The name 'seodae' might sound unfamiliar, but one look and you'll go, 'oh, this fish.' It's a flat white-fleshed fish, similar to flounder or halibut, caught year-round in the waters off Yeosu. The flesh is white and mild, so in Yeosu it's not just eaten raw — it's braised, grilled, and steamed too. But the preparation locals love most is hoe-muchim, the raw mix. Thinly sliced seodae, worked by hand into chojang sauce, transforms the mild white fish into something completely different, dressed in sweet and tangy flavor. The sauce's tartness cuts any fishy taste, while the fish's signature chewy-yet-tender texture stays intact. This is exactly the moment first-timers are surprised, thinking, 'so this is another way to eat raw fish.'

There's a reason seodaehoe-muchim shows up on Yeosu tables so often. It was never a pricey, rare fish — it was an everyday fish, caught abundantly year-round in local waters. Since it was so easy to catch, fishermen would bring it home, toss it in chojang, and turn it into a side dish, and that tradition passed down through generations until it became Yeosu's signature local food. These days, with Yeosu's food scene getting more airtime on TV and travel shows, more and more visitors come specifically looking for seodaehoe-muchim. Watching newcomers go, 'oh, so this is the famous seodaehoe,' and polish off a whole bowl makes this local proud. Whether it's a home-style diner in downtown Yeosu or an old restaurant near Odongdo, that red dish always finds its place on the table.

Rice or Noodles?

The real fun of seodaehoe-muchim is in the mixing. You can pick straight from the dish with chopsticks, sure, but Yeosu locals like to drizzle on a swirl of sesame oil and mix it right into a fresh bowl of rice. That's seodaehoe-bibimbap. As the tang of the chojang soaks into every grain, each spoonful brings a bite of seodae along with the crunch of minari (water dropwort) and cucumber. The fragrant minari and cool crunch of cucumber lighten up what could otherwise be a heavy sauce — it's a genuinely clever combination. Some places throw in perilla leaves or onion too, but the key is always fresh, crisp vegetables, whatever's best that day.

Mixing it with noodles instead of rice is just as common in Yeosu. Toss boiled thin wheat noodles with seodaehoe-muchim, and you get a broth-free bibim-noodle dish packed with sweet, tangy flavor. On a hot summer day when nothing sounds appetizing, one bowl of this seodaehoe noodle dish beats a whole meal of rice. So Yeosu locals are always weighing it up depending on the season and their mood: rice today, or noodles? Honestly, there's no right answer. If it's your first time, we recommend trying a little of both. The same seodaehoe-muchim tastes different mixed with rice versus noodles, so you get double the enjoyment.

That Tang Calls for Makgeolli

Seodaehoe-muchim works as a side dish with rice, but it's also a fantastic drinking snack. It pairs especially well with makgeolli. The tartness of the chojang cuts right through makgeolli's slightly heavy, chalky taste. Take a bite, wash it down with a cool bowl of makgeolli, and there's nothing more refreshing. Seeing Yeosu elders share a bottle of makgeolli with seodaehoe-muchim over a daytime drink is a familiar sight around here. Soju works great too, of course — the crunch of minari and cucumber adds a satisfying bite to each round, and the drinks go down so easily you might actually need to watch how much you're having.

So where in Yeosu should you eat it? If we had to name well-known spots, old-school places like Samhakjip and Dongseo Sikdang near Odongdo often come up among locals. But seodaehoe-muchim isn't the specialty of just one or two restaurants — it's a neighborhood flavor scattered across home-style diners downtown, market eateries, and restaurants near Odongdo. Walk into pretty much any old restaurant down any alley, and you'll likely find a plate of seodaehoe-muchim waiting. So rather than lining up at one famous place, we'd suggest just pushing open the door of whatever weathered old diner you happen to pass. In Yeosu, a place like that is usually the real deal.

Don't overlook the side dishes either. Yeosu is famous for Dolsan gat-kimchi (mustard leaf kimchi), so wherever you find seodaehoe-muchim, a plate of that sharp, peppery kimchi comes standard. A bite of tangy seodaehoe followed by a piece of zesty gat-kimchi clears the palate perfectly. This coming-together of what Yeosu's sea and fields produce, all on one table, is the real taste of Yeosu wrapped up in a single plate of seodaehoe-muchim.

🦦 A Mood Photo, via Sudal