Sashimi Restaurant Maeuntang vs Specialty Maeuntang — Same Name, Totally Different Dishes

횟집 매운탕의 본명 — 서더리탕이란

After you finish a platter of assorted sashimi or a full sashimi course, a bubbling pot of red-broth stew arrives at the table. This final bowl actually has its own name — seodeori-tang. "Seodeori" refers to the leftover bones, heads, and skin after the fish has been filleted, and when these scraps are simmered with gochujang, doenjang, and gochugaru, the result is seodeori-tang. Records in Donguibogam (a 17th-century Korean medical encyclopedia) describe boiling leftover fish heads into soup, showing just how deep the tradition runs. Food researcher Lee Woo-seok has noted that "the broth served at sashimi restaurants follows a distinct method called seodeol-tang, different from what most people assume." The fascinating part is that this practice is not exclusive to any region — it is a shared culinary tradition at sashimi restaurants across the entire country.

Tips for Visitors

• ·This stew is included automatically when you order a sashimi course — no separate order needed
• ·The name "seodeori-tang" comes from "seodeol" (bones and heads), and the tradition is documented in Donguibogam
• ·The broth flavor changes depending on the fish you ordered — olive flounder bones give a clean taste, rockfish bones produce a richer one
• ·If the broth has a slight viscosity, that means collagen has been properly extracted from the bones

전문점 매운탕 — 동태·메기·대구, 그 자체가 한 끼

There is an entirely different world from the sashimi course finale. Think of the cod stew alley near Samgakji in Seoul, catfish specialists along Paldang and Cheongpyeong, or longstanding pollock stew restaurants that have served the same recipe for decades. At these places, the bubbling pot IS the main dish. Dongtae-jjigae (frozen pollock stew) is a beloved comfort food available year-round at a stable price. Freshwater catfish is described in the Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture as "the species enthusiasts rank above all others." Cod stew delivers a milky white broth with a refreshing umami kick, while mandarin fish (ssogari) is considered the pinnacle of freshwater ingredients.

Tips for Visitors

• ·The cod stew alley near Samgakji station in Seoul features restaurants that have been open for over 40 years
• ·Catfish specialists in Paldang and Cheongpyeong use freshwater fish from the upper Han River for deeper flavor
• ·Frozen pollock is available year-round at consistent prices, making it the most accessible option
• ·Adding ramyeon noodles or hand-torn dough (sujebi) is a common practice at specialty restaurants

매운탕 육수의 갈림길 — 즉석 뼈 국물 vs 사전 조리

The most fundamental difference is where the broth begins. At a sashimi restaurant, the bones, heads, and skin from the fish you just ate go straight into the pot to produce an instant stock. Order olive flounder sashimi and you get olive flounder bone broth; order rockfish and the broth is rockfish-based. With an assorted platter, bones from multiple species blend into a complex, layered flavor. Specialty restaurants, on the other hand, rely on a pre-prepared base. Pollock stew uses anchovy-and-kelp stock with pollock added in, while catfish specialists simmer freshwater fish bones for hours to build their foundation. The former is "an extension of the fish you just ate," while the latter is "a perfected recipe reproduced each day."

Tips for Visitors

• ·A cloudy, slightly opaque broth means collagen has been thoroughly extracted — a sign of quality
• ·An assorted sashimi platter yields a more complex broth because bones from multiple species are combined
• ·Specialty restaurants use a pre-made base, so the stew arrives at the table faster after ordering
• ·"What fish is in the broth today?" — ask at a sashimi restaurant and they will tell you which species went in

경상도 매운탕의 비밀 — 방아잎과 산초

The real regional difference is not about the seasoning paste — it is about the herbs. In Gyeongsang Province (which includes Busan), cooks add banga leaf (baechohyang, a type of Korean agastache) and sancho pepper (chopi). Banga leaf carries a unique aroma somewhere between mint and perilla, cutting through fishiness while adding a refreshing herbal note. Visitors from Seoul or central Korea encountering this flavor for the first time often react with genuine surprise — it is that distinctive. Sancho pepper produces a slight numbing tingle on the tongue, similar to Sichuan peppercorn, and is an essential Gyeongsang-do spice also found in chueo-tang (loach soup). In contrast, restaurants in Seoul and central Korea use milder aromatics like water parsley (minari), crown daisy, and perilla leaves. Both the Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture and Namu Wiki document this as a defining Gyeongsang-do characteristic.

Tips for Visitors

• ·If the herbal aroma feels too unfamiliar, you can ask for the banga leaf to be left out
• ·Gyeongsang-do locals consider the stew bland without these herbs
• ·The numbing sensation of sancho pepper is in the same family as Chinese mala spice
• ·Visitors from Seoul rank this herb as the number-one surprise when eating in Busan

매운탕을 먹는 타이밍 — 피날레인가, 메인인가

At a sashimi restaurant, the stew is the grand finale of the meal. Daehan Geupshik Shinmun (a Korean food-industry publication) even called it "a kind of dessert" — the final chapter of a sequence that flows from raw fish to side dishes to piping-hot broth to rice spooned into the pot. Ordering this bowl on its own would be unusual. At a specialty restaurant, however, the stew IS the destination. You walk into a pollock stew joint, order one pot, and eat it with rice and banchan as a complete meal. Driving to Paldang for catfish or heading to Samgakji for cod stew — the soup itself is the reason for the trip.

Tips for Visitors

• ·At a sashimi restaurant, the stew comes automatically after the sashimi course — no separate order needed
• ·Spooning rice into the broth at the end is a universal Korean tradition
• ·At specialty restaurants, adding ramyeon noodles or sujebi dough for extra volume is perfectly normal
• ·Many places allow takeaway of leftover broth — feel free to ask

매운탕 양념은 전국이 같다 — 고추장·고춧가루의 진실

A persistent internet claim says "Busan uses gochujang, Seoul uses gochugaru." But according to the Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture, the standard method is to "add gochugaru in appropriate amounts and adjust the flavor with gochujang," and "the ratio is not fixed — it is blended freely." Namu Wiki likewise lists the base seasonings as "gochujang, soy sauce, doenjang, and gochugaru" without any regional distinction. In practice, some Busan sashimi restaurants use generous amounts of gochugaru, while certain Seoul pollock stew shops rely on a gochujang base. The seasoning depends on the individual cook and the type of fish being used — not the region.

Tips for Visitors

• ·The seasoning ratio depends on the fish species, not the region
• ·Saltwater fish often call for more gochugaru, producing a cleaner, brighter broth
• ·Freshwater fish are often paired with extra doenjang to tame the fishiness
• ·If you prefer a milder heat, just ask — most restaurants will gladly adjust the spice level

자갈치해안로 매운탕 — 정석 코스의 마무리

At this Jagalchi waterfront restaurant, live fish delivered every morning are filleted to order, and the leftover bones and heads go straight into the pot. The sashimi set meal (KRW 20,000) includes a plate of live-fish sashimi followed by a steaming bowl made from those very bones. With an assorted sashimi platter (starting at KRW 60,000 for small), bones from multiple species combine to produce a noticeably deeper broth. There is also a whole-rockfish stew (starting at KRW 50,000 for small) where thick chunks of flesh remain in the pot alongside the bone broth. True to the Busan tradition, a subtle banga leaf aroma drifts through the broth — unfamiliar at first, but the kind of flavor you start to miss once you have tried it.

Tips for Visitors

• ·The sashimi set meal (KRW 20,000) includes the hot stew as part of the course
• ·A whole-rockfish stew (small from KRW 50,000) is available as a standalone order
• ·Ordering assorted sashimi means multiple fish bone types in the broth for a richer flavor
• ·If the banga leaf aroma feels too unfamiliar, you can request it without — but trying it at least once is recommended
• ·After your meal, stroll along the coastal road, catch the Busan harbor night view, and head to Nampo-dong for dessert