Shrimp in Korean food
Shrimp (새우)
In Korean food, shrimp more often goes in as salted fermented shrimp than as whole shrimp. It is finely chopped into the seasoning, so you cannot see it.
Where it hides in Korean food
Salted shrimp is used to make kimchi and kkakdugi radish kimchi, to season stews, and as a dip for boiled pork. Kkakdugi is mixed with chopped salted shrimp.
Bossam, suyuk and sundae come with salted shrimp for dipping, and many sundae soup restaurants put out salted shrimp instead of salt.
Soft steamed egg is often seasoned with salted shrimp, and rice soups such as haejangguk and bean sprout rice soup are seasoned with it too.
Dishes with haemul, meaning seafood, in the name, such as haemul pajeon, often contain whole shrimp.
How it is written in Korean
- 새우saeushrimp or prawn
- 새우젓saeujeotsalted fermented shrimp
- 대하daehalarge prawn
- 새우가루saeugarushrimp powder
These are common words, not a complete list. A word missing here does not mean the ingredient is missing from the food.
Korean law requires packaged food that contains this ingredient to name it in a separate allergy box near the ingredient list. The legal name is 새우.
Dishes that contain it
Sometimes in it
- Budae-jjigae (army base stew)Salted shrimp is a common kimchi seasoning, so a shrimp allergy is worth mentioning even though no shrimp is added directly.
- GimbapSalted shrimp is a common kimchi seasoning, so a kimchi roll can carry shrimp even though no shrimp is visible in the slice.
- Haemul-pajeon (seafood scallion pancake)Shrimp is the other usual seafood alongside squid, pressed into the pancake so it is hard to pick out.
- Jajangmyeon (black bean noodles)Shrimp can be cooked into the black sauce or laid on the noodles as a blanched topping, and it is standard in the seafood version.
- JapchaeSeafood japchae tosses blanched shrimp with the glass noodles.
- Jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup)Shrimp is often part of the jjamppong seafood mix, but some versions use only mussels and squid, so ask the shop.
- Mandu (Korean dumplings)Shrimp mandu puts whole or chopped shrimp in the filling, and kimchi mandu can carry salted shrimp from the kimchi seasoning.
- Naengmyeon (cold noodles)The young radish kimchi on yeolmu naengmyeon can also be seasoned with salted shrimp.
- SamgyeopsalThe kimchi served as a side dish is commonly seasoned with salted shrimp. It comes separately, but it is sometimes grilled on the same grill.
- Sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew)Shrimp is another common seafood choice, and the menu name often just says seafood sundubu.
Based on the 20 dishes this site has researched. Dishes not listed here can contain it too.
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Sources we checked
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How we research and check these sourcesShow the 11 sources behind this page
- 새우젓 - 한국민족문화대백과사전 (opens in a new tab)
Salted shrimp goes into kimchi and kkakdugi, seasons stews, and is served with boiled pork.
- 깍두기 - 한국민족문화대백과사전 (opens in a new tab)
Kkakdugi is mixed with chopped salted shrimp.
- Bossam - Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
Bossam is served with side dishes that include salted shrimp.
- 순대 - 위키백과, 우리 모두의 백과사전 (opens in a new tab)
In Chungcheong, sundae is usually eaten with salted shrimp.
- 달걀 - 한국민족문화대백과사전 (opens in a new tab)
Steamed egg can be seasoned with salted shrimp.
- Gyeran-jjim - Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
Soft steamed egg is often seasoned with salted shrimp.
- 해장국 - 한국민족문화대백과사전 (opens in a new tab)
Haejangguk, a hangover soup, can be seasoned with salted shrimp.
- 전주콩나물국밥 - 한국민족문화대백과사전 (opens in a new tab)
Jeonju bean sprout rice soup is seasoned with salted shrimp.
- Pajeon - Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
Haemul pajeon batter contains seafood such as shrimp.
- 반찬가게 창업ㆍ운영 > 준수사항 > 영업자의 준수사항 > 식품 등의 표시 기준 (본문) | 찾기쉬운 생활법령정보 (opens in a new tab)
Packaged food must name its allergens in a separate box near the ingredient list.
- 식품 등의 표시ㆍ광고에 관한 법률 시행규칙 - 국가법령정보센터 (opens in a new tab)
The annex to these labeling rules lists the allergens that packaged food must declare.