Joseho Pohang was every bit the lively Korean seafood experience we had hoped for. Every table buzzed with conversation over sizzling grills, platters of fresh seafood and glasses of cold beer. The aroma of smoky grilled seafood drifted through the restaurant, creating an atmosphere that was vibrant yet welcoming.
One of the greatest joys of travelling is discovering ingredients you’ve never seen before. Not because they’re luxurious, but because they tell the story of the place they come from. In Pohang, that discovery came in the form of the remarkable Dokdo Shrimp.
Living 300 to 600 metres beneath the cold waters of Korea’s East Sea, where temperatures hover around 5°C, these deep-sea shrimp are only harvested during the calmer summer months when fishing boats can safely deploy their traps off the coast of Gyeongsangbuk-do.
Among the three varieties of Dokdo shrimp, we chose the Kkot-saeu (꽃새우), or Flower Shrimp. Before it is peeled, it is almost too beautiful to eat. Its brilliant crimson body is decorated with delicate white stripes resembling blooming flower petals, giving the shrimp its fitting name. The striking colour comes naturally from a diet rich in astaxanthin pigments found in algae and tiny marine organisms deep beneath the sea. Watching the shrimp glide gracefully around the tank, it was hard to imagine that something so beautiful would soon become one of the most memorable seafood experiences of our journey.
You can imagine our sense of awe when the Dokdo Flower Shrimp was finally presented on a bed of ice. The vivid crimson bodies glistened beneath the light, their translucent flesh almost jewel-like in appearance. Our curiosity and excitement only grew as we admired their extraordinary beauty.
The first bite immediately justified the anticipation.
The flesh was velvety, almost jelly-like, with enough substance to remind you that you were eating shrimp, yet so little resistance that it seemed to melt effortlessly as you chewed. A gentle sweetness slowly unfolded across the palate, carrying a delicate richness that never became heavy. Living in deep, icy waters gives the shrimp a naturally higher fat content, creating a luxurious mouthfeel unlike ordinary warm-water prawns.
The first shrimp made us pause. The sweetness lingered quietly across our palate, leaving behind a feeling of pure contentment that was difficult to explain. Some foods can’t be described with words – they simply have to be felt.
As we finished the sashimi, the restaurant gathered the shrimp heads and carried them back into the kitchen. A few minutes later, they returned transformed into a golden basket of crispy treats.
It was the perfect ending.
The delicate sweetness of the raw shrimp had already won us over, but now we were rewarded with an entirely different side of the same ingredient. The heads were incredibly crisp without being greasy, with rich buttery, nutty and lightly salty flavours that became more pronounced with every bite. There was something deeply satisfying about enjoying every part of such an exceptional shrimp.
It felt wonderfully decadent – not because it was extravagant, but because we were experiencing two completely different expressions of the same ingredient in a single meal. We’ve enjoyed many excellent prawns over the years, but never before had one taken us on a journey from delicate sashimi to crispy, intensely flavourful shell. It was a deep-sea seafood experience unlike any other.
Alongside the shrimp, we also grilled fresh East Sea scallops topped with a light layer of cheese. As they cooked over the charcoal, they spat little bursts of sweet juices into the air – a sure sign of their freshness. The flesh remained tender, mildly briny and naturally sweet, while the restrained amount of cheese added richness without overpowering the scallops’ delicate flavour.
The Dokdo Flower Shrimp may have brought us here, but it was the entire experience that stayed with us. From the sublime sweetness of the sashimi to the indulgent crunch of the fried heads, it reminded us that sometimes the greatest seafood experiences aren’t about eating more – they’re about discovering just how extraordinary a single ingredient can be.