Korean Daeha Sogeum-gui, Salt-Roasted King Prawns

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Jagalchi Fish Market

📍 Where this dish comes from: Busan · Jagalchi Fish Market
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Korean Daeha Sogeum-gui, plated and ready to serve

Daeha sogeum-gui is a dramatic and incredibly simple autumn dish: large whole prawns roasted on a bed of coarse salt until their shells turn bright orange. The salt cooks them evenly and seasons them gently. Peel and eat with your hands, and save the heads for the best bite of all.

Per serving: 162 calories · 0.6 g net carbs · 26 g protein · 6 g fat (calculated from the ingredients)

What You’ll Need

Ingredients for Korean Daeha Sogeum-gui

Korean Daeha Sogeum-gui, plated and ready to serve

Korean Daeha Sogeum-gui, Salt-Roasted King Prawns

Daeha sogeum-gui is a dramatic and incredibly simple autumn dish: large whole prawns roasted on a bed of coarse salt until their shells turn bright orange. The salt cooks them evenly and seasons them gently. Peel and eat with your hands, and save the heads for the best bite of all.
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Korean
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 162kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds large whole shell-on prawns or jumbo shrimp
  • 3 cups coarse sea salt for roasting (not eaten)
  • 2 tablespoons butter melted (optional)
  • Dipping sauce: 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon wasabi or mustard
  • 1 lemon cut into wedges

Instructions

  • Rinse the prawns and pat dry. Use kitchen scissors to trim off the long antennae and sharp tips. Leave the shells and heads on.
  • Spread the coarse salt in an even layer about 1/2 inch deep in a large cast-iron skillet or heavy pan with a lid.
  • Heat the salt over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, until very hot.
  • Arrange the prawns on the salt in a single layer, cover with the lid, and cook for 5 minutes. Flip each prawn, cover, and cook 4 to 6 minutes more, until the shells are bright orange and the flesh is opaque.
  • Brush with melted butter if you like, and serve right away with the dipping sauce and lemon.

Notes

The prawns sit on the salt rather than in it, so they come out lightly seasoned, not salty. Let the used salt cool completely before discarding it. The cooking time depends on the size of your prawns; very large ones may need a few extra minutes.
Chef's Tip: After eating the bodies, return the heads to the hot salt for 3 to 4 minutes until crispy. In Korea, many people consider the crunchy heads the best part.
Keto Swap: This dish is naturally keto. Shrimp is one of the leanest, highest-protein seafoods you can eat.
Success Tip: Kids love peeling their own prawns. Serve with melted butter for dipping alongside the soy sauce.
Nutrition is calculated from the ingredients and is an estimate per serving. Net carbs exclude fiber and allulose.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 162kcal | Protein: 26g | Fat: 6g | Fiber: 0.1g
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Cooking Korean Daeha Sogeum-gui in the kitchen

About This Dish

Daeha means "large shrimp," and autumn is their peak season, when they are fattest and sweetest. The port of Namdang-ri, on Korea’s west coast in Hongseong, holds a famous prawn festival every fall, drawing crowds who eat salt-roasted prawns by the kilogram. The salt-roasting method is popular because it cooks the prawns evenly without water or oil. Restaurants often finish the meal by making a soup or fried rice from the heads. Watching the gray shells turn bright orange on the salt is part of the fun.

Pairs Well With

This recipe is from The Ultimate Korean Keto Cookbook by Gisele Costello, Chapter 4: Seafood (Jagalchi Fish Market). See all Korean recipes

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