Top

eating sannakji

Unearthed from the archives is a story of my first time eating sannakji, the Korean delicacy of eating raw octopus.

Once upon a time, I ate ‘sannakji.’ What pray tell is this strange word? Why, sannakji 낙지 simply translates to ‘live octopus.’ It’s the ultimate dare food while in Korea… well that and maybe eating dog… but let’s not go there. It was definitely not a pre-meditated event but the spontaneity to check this one off the list on a random week night with a random gang of friends made it all the more special.  The night started off with a casual round of drinks to welcome back a friend of mine to Daejeon. This friend happened to be an old colleague of mine who I had spent a summer with at John Hopkin’s. It’s cases like these that reminds me how strange the universe is… he had lived in South Korea for a few years prior to my arrival but I never knew he was a fellow Daejeon-nite. Such a weird coincidence! Anyways, after getting a nice buzz on at my favorite bar and talking about things to do in Korea, I suggested (more enthusiastically than necessary) that we should go get sannakji! Mind you, it was like 1 in the morning. On a Wednesday night. But there was another gourmand present in my midst who was completely up for it so we found ourselves at a little restaurant around the corner of the bar that someone had randomly said was a place to eat ‘nakji.

eating sannakji

So this is a plate of sannakji in motion / Credit: Imgur

eating sannakji

The merry gang of comrades looking out for a sannakji spot

I really had no idea what to expect as we embarked on this bizzaro eat. In Korean cuisine, raw dishes are considered a delicacy. I immediately became alarmed when after inquiring about the dish, the owner of the restaurant ushered out his very obedient wife from behind the register to the storefront where huge florescent blue aquariums with all sorts of sea creatures were being displayed. Yea, I got it. FRESH, FRESH EVERYTHING. She pointed to this ugly little beast all curled up at the bottom of the tank and grinned in a way that truly made me nervous. Before I knew it, she had a fish net in her hand and snatched the baby octopus with the prowess of a woman who has entertained one too many curious foreigners in her lifetime. I followed her into the kitchen to watch her work her magic. The octopus kept balling up so she had to forcibly stretching it out. But I realized that I couldn’t bear to watch its execution so I sat myself back down with my friends sipping nervously away at bottles of Korean beer. Here I was in a pretty white lace dress sitting opposite from a man who I had just met two hours ago about to feast on raw octopus.

eating sannakji

The baby octopus pre-decapitation

The once living being I had seen being wrangled out of the water was now writhing in small tiny pieces on a square white plate.

It was lathered in sesame oil accentuating how very-much-in-motion my midnight snack was in the light. With the metal chopsticks that are quintessential to Korean dining, I tried to grab a piece but I seriously couldn’t grab one. It kept escaping!!! The owner could see me struggling and replaced my metal chopsticks for wooden ones. After successfully snatching a piece, I immediately popped it in my mouth for fear of losing it. I kept hearing my friend Kevin telling me to chew and I’m glad I did because the suction cups were still active and I could feel them attach to the inner walls of my mouth. That was definitely the most alarming bit of the experience! But the taste was lovely. It was fresh and bright and dipping the pieces in a ginger-soy sauce concoction made it all the more pleasurable. My friend Julie who was also with us kept squealing in disgust at how animated the octopus was even minutes after being chopped up MasterChef style. Being forewarned by the threat of choking, I kind of laughed at myself for being a bit intoxicated, clearly seeing as a halt in chewing could have meant sudden death. Dramatics aside, it was a surprisingly one of the most entertaining food experiences and definitely worth the hype. [circa October 2014]

eating sannakji

Had to do it when my brother came to visit

eating sannakji

With the Korean mamas who did all the butchery

👉 Has anyone else tried sannakji? Tell me more about your culinary adventures in the comments below.

Give me a shout-out on Pinterest pretty please?
eating sannakji

Save

Save

Save

Save

0

Filipina-American Millette Stambaugh is a thirty-something former expat who has traded her nomadic ways for Philadelphia living. Corporate worker by day, content creator by night, Millette specializes in visual storytelling and joyful journeys and wants to help others find their "next somewheres." Follow her escapades on Instagram, Youtube, and Tiktok @thenextsomewhere.

Comments:

  • July 22, 2016

    I am terrified of feeling moving things in my mouth! OMG We keep getting told we need to try this, but I just can’t summon the courage to eat any of Korea’s seafood! Haha, it seriously looks scary AF. You were so chill about trying it! I can’t believe one kept escaping! So crazy. I seriously would be scared of choking! haha!

    reply...
  • July 25, 2016

    Oh my goodness!!!! I eat so many weird things (being a Filipino) but I’m not sure I can handle this! But if you can, I do believe I can too. I just hope I won’t choke to death because that would be a very embarrassing way to die. Lol.

    reply...
  • marie

    July 25, 2016

    Poor Octopus! That is horrible. I hate the Japanese attitude to animal cruelty, especially whale harpooning. Would you behave like this towards a living creature in your own country? If the answer is No, then don’t do it abroad!

    reply...
  • July 25, 2016

    I had heard of this before and the fact that you can actually choke while eating it. This is one potentially lethal meal! I have to admit I did wonder reading it, if the octopus is actually killed quickly but sounds like from your previous comment that it is executed swiftly and I am guessing that the movement is just the tentacles twitching? Anyway definitely a crazy experience – probably not one that I would do but I am pretty sure my boyfriend did when he lived in Korea.

    reply...
  • July 26, 2016

    I’m not great with weird texture on the best of days, so this one is totally out for me! I’m glad you’re such an adventurous eater! It totally saves me the effort (and fear!). So far I haven’t tried anything really gross here. Have you tried bondaegi yet?

    reply...
  • July 30, 2016

    Yum! I remember those little moving guys being tasty, especially when dipped in soy sauce. I’m a huge seafood fan, so when they told me I could eat raw octopus, I was all about it. Glad your lil brother enjoyed himself!

    reply...
  • July 30, 2016

    I’ve not even sanakji! I’ve actually not tried any Korean hoe… I really love sushi and sashimi but I dunno… those restaurants with the fish tanks outside freak me out lol. I would like to say that I will eat sanakji before I leave Korea, but I’m not sure if I will! You’re so brave! And actually the first person who I’ve actually heard comment on the flavour! Thanks for sharing, maybe you’ve inspired me to pluck up the courage for it……

    reply...
  • July 31, 2016

    I don’t eat seafood because I dislike the taste. I also don’t like that my food is still moving and trying to grab me while I’m eating, so this is out of the question for me. Sounds like a scene out of a horror movie! 🙂

    reply...
  • July 31, 2016

    Good for you for fully immersing into the traditions of Korea – particularly adventurous eating practices! I really wish I’d tried this while I lived there. I think I would need SO MUCH HOT SAUCE with it, but who knows. Certainly a crazy awesome experience and an funny anecdotal to tell to those who couldn’t fathom it. Was it harder to hold onto it with the metal chopsticks? It looked like that one was squirming in the video and I feel like I would drop it on my lap or something and then promptly squeal.

    reply...
  • July 31, 2016

    Lol! I loved Sannakji as well!!
    Here are some other recommendations:
    1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_pineapple (Korean Meonggye), probably the most bitter thing EVER haha
    2. Korean Gejang https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gejang fresh raw crabs in sauce..yummy!
    3. Korean sashimi at Noryangjin Market or Garak Market. Sooo good!
    I hope you get to taste more interesting food! 😀

    reply...
  • August 1, 2016

    EEEKKK!! I just couldn’t do it…even though everyone kept telling us to try it while we were in Korea. I must say, I had a bit of a hard time as I don’t eat seafood, and as you know, seafood is EVERYWHERE in Korea! I eat fish, but that’s about the extent of sea I like in my food 😉
    You’re so brave!

    reply...
  • August 1, 2016

    I love how vividly you described the situation. I felt like I was there with you as you embarked on this experience. I don’t know if I could deal with the entire head on the plate, but I don’t mind the legs so much. Also, everything tastes amazing with sesame sauce. Have you ever tried frying eggs in a bit of it? We used to cook them like that for breakfast. 😉

    reply...
  • August 1, 2016

    YayyyyyY!!!! This is one food I could never be dared to eat. My husband had no choice but to do it and the sons screamed hahahah…. and then he vividly described how it felt like moving in his mouth down to his throat hahahaha.

    reply...

post a comment

Share
Pin
Share
Reddit