Grilled hagfish over charcoal, the wriggling market grill of Jagalchi and Haeundae, doused in gochujang and eaten with soju as the coals spit.

Gomjangeo, the inshore hagfish, became Busan food during hard times, when its skin went to wallets and the meat to open-fire grills. Postwar market rows at Jagalchi and Haeundae made it a specialty: rich, springy flesh charred over briquettes, either yangnyeom-slicked in chilli paste or salt-grilled with garlic. It remains a market-lane order, a dish for benches, tongs and a bottle rather than tablecloths.

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