Walk into any Korean hoetjip (횟집) — a traditional raw fish restaurant — and your eyes will immediately go to the gleaming cuts of fish arranged in the glass display case. But ask a Korean food lover what they’re most excited to order, and many will tell you: sea cucumber.
It might not look glamorous. It’s dark, slippery, and vaguely alien-looking. But sliced fresh and served with a dab of cho-gochujang (spicy vinegar red pepper paste), it is one of the most uniquely satisfying bites Korean coastal cuisine has to offer.
What is haesam — and what does the name mean?
The Korean word for sea cucumber is haesam (해삼) — literally hae (바다, sea) + sam (삼, ginseng). Sea ginseng. That name alone tells you how Koreans think of it: not as a curiosity or a novelty, but as a serious food with serious nutritional purpose.
For centuries, sea cucumber was prized as a restorative food — something you ate when you needed to rebuild your strength. It contains saponins and chondroitin, compounds also found in traditional herbal medicines, and it was historically used in Korean hanbang (traditional medicine) as well. For older Koreans especially, haesam carries a deep sense of nourishment and care.
How is sea cucumber eaten in Korea?
Fresh sea cucumber is gutted, sliced into bite-sized rings, and served raw — the same way sashimi is served. The texture is the thing: firm, chewy, and springy all at once, with a satisfying crunch that Koreans describe as ododok ododok (오독오독) — a word for that particular snappy resistance you get with cartilage or very fresh seafood. There’s no direct English equivalent, but imagine the snap of a perfectly cooked piece of calamari, dialed up a notch.
The flavor is mild and lightly briny, very much of the sea. Dipped in cho-gochujang, it’s bright, a little spicy, and deeply refreshing — making it the ideal appetizer before the main event of grilled or raw fish.
When I was a child, haesam used to arrive at the table without us even asking — a free starter from the kitchen. Now it’s a separate line on the menu, and not a cheap one.
Why has sea cucumber gotten so expensive?
Sea cucumber cannot be farmed. Every single one must be harvested by hand — by divers who plunge into the sea, often in cold water, to collect them from the ocean floor. As Korea’s coastal waters have become more polluted and sea cucumber populations in shallower areas have thinned, divers must go further out and deeper down. Labor costs have risen with Korea’s economic development. The result: what was once a free house appetizer is now a premium order.
Dried sea cucumber has largely disappeared from everyday Chinese-Korean restaurant cooking too. Dishes like samseon jjajangmyeon and samseon jjamppong — “three seafood” noodle dishes that traditionally featured dried haesam as one of the three key ingredients — are now rarely made with it. Only high-end Chinese restaurants or those committed to traditional recipes still use dried haesam. The price tag simply makes it impractical for casual dining.
When is the best time to eat haesam?
If you want the best haesam, go in winter. Sea cucumbers are at their peak when ocean temperatures are coldest — the flesh firms up, the flavor deepens, and the characteristic crunch becomes more pronounced. A winter visit to a Korean coastal seafood restaurant is the perfect occasion.
Don’t wait for someone to recommend it to you. Just order it. It might be the most unexpectedly wonderful thing on the table.
Haesam is typically served as an appetizer at Korean hoetjip. Ask for it by name — 해삼 주세요 (haesam juseyo) — and pair it with cho-gochujang. Best enjoyed in winter at a coastal fish market or traditional seafood restaurant.
