Sokcho on table

Stuffed Squid

Seafood is one of the most polarizing food items. Still, the squid is an exception because there are many different ways of cooking it. You can stir-fry strips of dried squid in sweet, spicy sauce. It goes so well with a hot bowl of rice and kids love it. You can blanch fresh squid in boiling water, cut them into strips, and dip them in gochujang and vinegar sauce. It is a tasty side dish for adults when drinking alcohol. There is a less known yet very interesting squid dish. It is squid sundae, or stuffed squid. It is one of the most popular local specialty food items.

📝Text by. Editorial Team  /  📷Illustrated by. Gyeol

A perfect combination of flavors and texture

Squid tastes best in summer, but you can eat fresh squid all year round in Sokcho. Squid caught in the East Sea are plump and tender. They have a slightly chewy texture and a sweet flavor. Squid are cooked in various different ways in Korea. They are dried, deep-fried, salted, or blanched. When you are in Sokcho, however, you have to eat stuffed squid. Generally, guts of cows or pigs are used to make “sundae” or stuffed animal guts, but people in Sokcho remove the innards of squid and stuff them with chopped vegetables.
It is simple and easy to make. Chop tofu and other vegetables, season them, and stuff them into squid. Place the stuffed squid on a steamer and steam them for about 20 minutes. The plump, steamed stuffed squid look just like regular sundae made with cow or pig guts, and they are so savory that they are almost addictive. The mild-flavored stuffing of vegetables and the chewy squid flesh create a tasty combination. Nowadays, the local specialty food offers more options to choose from by adding new flavors to the original recipe. For example, stuffed squid are dipped in eggs and pan-fried to give a richer flavor or cooked together with scorched rice. Stuffed squid with scorched rice is becoming increasingly popular as a local specialty food in Sokcho. The must-eat local delicacy is served in many restaurants at fish markets, ports, and raw fish restaurants.

    • Ingredients
      3 squid, 2 eggs, 1T wheat flour, salt, pepper, 3 skewers, 1/2 tofu, chives, 1/4 carrot, 1/4 onion, 100g ground meat, glass noodles
    • Instructions
      1. Wash and prepare the squid.
      2. Finely chop all the other ingredients for the stuffing. If you want to add the arms of the squid or mung bean sprouts, make sure they are blanched.
      3. Put the chopped ingredients and eggs in a bowl, season with some salt and ground pepper, and combine them well.
      4. Put a tablespoon of wheat flour into the body of the squid and shake gently so that the body is coated with the flour on the inside.
      5. Stuff the body with ingredients until 80% full.
      6. Steam the stuffed squid for about 20 minutes.
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