Best Korean Seafood Chips: Saewookkang, Kkotgerang, and More
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Late Night Snacks at my Local GS25
Last night around 11 PM, I took the elevator down to the GS25 on the ground floor of my officetel building in Mapo-gu. Rain was slicking the neon lights outside, and I needed something salty to pair with a cold can of Cass beer after a grueling work shift. I walked straight past the potato chips and landed in front of the seafood snack shelf. In Korea, ocean-flavored crunchies aren’t a niche novelty act—they are the undisputed royalty of late-night drinking snacks, known locally as anju.
If you grew up outside East Asia, the idea of a chip tasting like shrimp, crab, or buttered squid might sound intimidating. I remember being hesitant when I first moved to Seoul years ago. But once you take that first bite, the combination of light texture, deep umami, and subtle sweetness makes standard salted potato chips feel instantly boring. If you are using a korean seafood chips guide to navigate your local Asian grocery store aisle or build an online import haul, you came to the right spot. Here is my honest resident review of the real-deal seafood snacks lined up in every convenience store across South Korea.
The Best Seafood Chips from Korean Convenience Stores
Convenience store shelves at CU, GS25, and 7-Eleven cycle through limited editions rapidly, but classic seafood chips remain untouched because locals buy them by the boxful. Prices usually hover around 1,500 to 2,500 won (roughly $1.10 to $1.80 USD) per bag, though premium lines cost a bit more. Here are the top contenders you actually need to taste.
1. Nongshim Saewookkang (Original Shrimp Crackers)
You cannot talk about Korean snacks without starting with Saewookkang. Created by Nongshim back in 1971, this is the granddaddy of them all. The slogan in Korea literally translates to ‘Hands keep going to it,’ and it is not an exaggeration.
Texture and Shape: These look like tiny, pale-golden ridged sticks. They aren’t thick like corn chips; instead, they have an airy, dry crispness that crunches softly without shattering into sharp pieces in your mouth.
Flavor Profile: The taste is subtly oceanic rather than overwhelmingly fishy. Real ground shrimp is baked into the wheat dough, giving it a toasted, savory sweetness balanced by a gentle dusting of fine salt.
Spice Level: Zero spice. Completely mild, making it ridiculously easy to eat half a bag before you realize what happened.
How Koreans Eat It: This is the ultimate baseline beer snack. You will see college students sitting on plastic stools outside convenience stores with a two-liter plastic bottle of lager and two bags of Saewookkang. It is also surprisingly popular to dump a handful into a hot bowl of instant soup for extra texture.
2. Nongshim Spicy Saewookkang (Maeun Saewookkang)
If the original version feels a bit too innocent for your palate, the spicy variation takes the exact same ridged stick format and coats it in a dark red seasoning blend.
Texture and Shape: Identical to the original—light, porous, and crispy—but the surface has a darker hue and visible specks of Korean chili powder (gochutgaru).
Flavor Profile: The roasted shrimp base is still front and center, but it gets hit with garlic, onion powder, and chili paste undertones. It tastes like concentrated seafood ramen powder in the best possible way.
Spice Level: Milder than Shin Ramyun, and light-years away from Buldak 2x Spicy. It leaves a warm tingle on your tongue that encourages you to take a sip of something cold, but it won’t have you scrambling for milk.
How Koreans Eat It: This is a staple for late-night home drinking (Sool-an-ju). Pair it with sour grapefruit chuhai or ice-cold draft lager to balance the salty-spicy kick.
3. Binggrae Kkotgerang (Crab Flavored Chips)
Binggrae’s Kkotgerang is legendary, partially because of its iconic bright orange, crab-shaped pieces. It launched in the late 1980s and remains a staple on every supermarket shelf in Seoul.
Texture and Shape: Shaped like miniature crabs, these chips are hollow and baked rather than fried. The bite is extraordinarily light—they practically dissolve on your tongue after two chews.
Flavor Profile: Kkotgerang hits you with a sweet, rich crab broth flavor. It tastes remarkably like real blue crab shell soup reduced down into a crispy seasoning. There is a rich umami depth here that sets it apart from shrimp chips.
Spice Level: Zero heat in the original mustard-yellow bag, though Binggrae occasionally releases a Wasabi variant that packs a nasal-clearing wallop equivalent to fresh horseradish.
How Koreans Eat It: Because of their fun shape, kids love them, but adults frequently eat them alongside pilsners. Pro-tip: toss them into an air fryer for 60 seconds at 160°C to revive the freshly baked aroma.
4. Nongshim Ojing-eo Jip (Butter Grilled Squid Rings)
If you walk down the snack aisle and smell something intensely buttery and savory, someone opened a bag of Ojing-eo Jip. Shaped like tiny honeycomb grids rolled into tubes, this snack mimics the flavor of grilled squid sold at street stalls and movie theaters across South Korea.
Texture and Shape: Thick, crunchy, and waffle-patterned. The texture offers a meatier crunch compared to the delicate Binggrae crab chips.
Flavor Profile: Sweet, smoky, and heavy on butter. It hits your palate first with sweet butter, followed immediately by roasted squid and salt. It is bold, fragrant, and deeply addictive.
Spice Level: Completely non-spicy. It leans heavily into sweet-and-savory (danjang) territory.
How Koreans Eat It: This is a classic movie-watching snack. Instead of popcorn, many Koreans pick up a bag of Ojing-eo Jip along with a canned iced coffee or a dark ale.
5. Orion Ojing-eo Ttangkong (Squid & Peanut Balls)
Orion’s Squid Peanut balls are a bit different from the others because they aren’t traditional potato or wheat chips. They are round, crunchy snack balls filled with a whole roasted peanut inside.
Texture and Shape: Small, smooth, hard-shelled balls with thin squiggly dark lines painted across the exterior to look like squid tentacles. The shell gives a sharp, loud crunch before yielding to the crunchy peanut center.
Flavor Profile: The outer shell is savory, salty, and distinctly flavored with dried squid extract, while the core gives you a nutty, roasted peanut taste.
Spice Level: Zero spice.
How Koreans Eat It: This is almost exclusively adult territory. You will rarely see children eating these; they are designed specifically as an anju pairing for Soju or Hite beer during home gatherings.
Seafood Chip Comparison
| Product | Seafood Base | Spice Heat Level |
|---|---|---|
| Nongshim Saewookkang | Shrimp | None |
| Spicy Saewookkang | Shrimp | Mild (Below Shin Ramyun) |
| Binggrae Kkotgerang | Blue Crab | None (Original) |
| Nongshim Ojing-eo Jip | Butter Squid | None (Sweet & Savory) |
| Orion Ojing-eo Ttangkong | Squid & Peanut | None |
How to Get It Abroad
You don’t need to hop on a flight to Incheon International Airport just to grab these snacks. Thanks to the global explosion of K-food, stocking up abroad has gotten drastically easier over the past few years.
- H Mart & Local Asian Markets: If you live near an H Mart, 99 Ranch Market, or a local Korean grocer, you will easily find Saewookkang and Kkotgerang in the snack aisle. Prices outside Korea generally range from $1.99 to $3.50 per bag depending on import taxes and store location.
- Amazon: Most flagship Korean seafood chips are available in multi-packs on Amazon. Look for official brand storefronts like Nongshim Direct to avoid marked-up third-party pricing.
- Korean Specialty Importers: Online Asian snack subscription boxes and import grocers frequently stock seasonal or limited-edition runs, such as Truffle Saewookkang Black or Wasabi Kkotgerang.
Verdict
Korean seafood chips are proof that savory snacks don’t need to rely solely on cheese or sour cream to be delicious. The use of real seafood extracts creates a deep umami character that pairs brilliantly with drinks or works as a mid-afternoon energy boost.
If you are a absolute beginner, start with Nongshim Saewookkang Original for the classic baseline experience. If you love bold, sweet, and smoky flavors, reach straight for Nongshim Ojing-eo Jip.
Overall Category Score: 9.2 / 10
FAQ
Do Korean seafood chips actually taste fishy?
Not in a bad or spoiled way. Most use dried, roasted shrimp, crab, or squid extracts blended with wheat flour and salt. The result is a savory, nutty, ocean-broth flavor rather than a strong fishy aftertaste.
Are Korean shrimp crackers fried or baked?
It depends on the brand. Traditional Nongshim Saewookkang uses a unique baking process where the dough is cooked on heated salt before receiving a light oil mist for seasoning attachment. Others, like Kkotgerang, are completely baked.
Are these snacks vegetarian or vegan friendly?
Generally no. Most authentic Korean seafood chips contain real shrimp powder, crab extract, or squid concentrate in their ingredient list, along with potential dairy derivatives in butter-flavored varieties.
