Gejang
Overview
Gejang (게장) is a traditional Korean fermented seafood dish made by salting and aging crustaceans such as blue crab, stone crab, and mitten crab in soy sauce or in a gochujang/gochugaru seasoning. It originally began as a preserved food for keeping crabs salted for long periods, but today it has become a representative Korean menu item widely known by the nickname “rice thief” as a delicious side dish eaten with rice. It is broadly divided into soy sauce gejang (ganjang gejang) and seasoned gejang (yangnyeom gejang), and recipes and flavors vary greatly by region and season.
Main Details
Definition and Etymology
Gejang is written in Hanja as 蟹醬 (haejang), literally meaning “jang (sauce/paste) made with crab.” Records in Joseon-era texts such as Sallim gyeongje, Jeungbo sallim gyeongje, and Imwon gyeongjeji describe methods of salting crabs or soaking them in soy sauce, showing a history of hundreds of years. In the past, it was used as a winter protein source and also as a seasoning made from crab shells.
Types
- Ganjang gejang (soy sauce crab): Fresh blue crabs are placed in a brine made by boiling soy sauce, water, garlic, ginger, onion, jujube, kelp, etc., and then aged. Salty and umami flavors dominate, and the natural sweetness of the crab meat can be tasted.
- Yangnyeom gejang (seasoned crab): Salted crab is mixed with gochugaru, gochujang, maesil cheong, starch syrup, garlic, ginger, sesame salt, etc.; it is characterized by a spicy, sweet, and sour taste. It is usually made by briefly salting freshly caught blue crabs.
- Al gejang (roe crab / egg crab): Made with female blue crabs full of roe; it is considered a delicacy because of the rich, nutty flavor and fine color of the roe.
- Chamgejang (mitten crab gejang): Made with mitten crabs; in the past, a common method was to salt and ferment them, then make broth from them.
Production Process
1. Preparing ingredients: Scrub the blue crab with a brush, remove the carapace, and remove the gills and innards.
2. Preparing the brine: For ganjang gejang, mix soy sauce and water at a ratio of 1:1 to 2:1, add garlic, ginger, onion, jujube, dried chili, kelp, etc., boil, and cool.
3. Aging: Place the crab in the brine and age in the refrigerator for 1–3 days. For yangnyeom gejang, briefly salt the crab, mix with seasoning, and eat within one day after it cures.
4. Reuse: The soy sauce brine can be boiled and reused, but for hygiene, repeated use more than 2–3 times is not recommended.
Nutrition and Benefits
Crab meat is rich in protein and low in fat, and contains taurine, chitin, calcium, zinc, selenium, etc. Taurine is known to help with fatigue recovery and improved liver function, and some studies indicate that chitin is involved in lowering blood cholesterol. However, ganjang gejang has a very high sodium content, so patients with hypertension or kidney disease should be careful about eating it.
How to Eat and Culture
Gejang is commonly eaten with white rice, and “gejang bibimbap,” made by mixing rice, gejang broth, and sesame oil in the crab shell, is considered a delicacy. It can also be served by picking out only the crab meat and putting it on rice, or the gejang broth can be used in steamed eggs or braised dishes. There is a common saying that female blue crabs are tastiest in spring and male blue crabs in autumn, and in production areas, premium gejang made with snow crab or king crab has also appeared.
Storage and Hygiene
Because gejang is an unheated food, risks such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, Vibrio, and parasites (symptoms similar to anisakiasis) have been pointed out. Therefore, it must be kept refrigerated, the aging period should not be excessively prolonged, and people with weakened immunity, pregnant women, and the elderly and infirm should avoid eating it raw. Recently, products that improve safety by introducing rapid freezing distribution and low-temperature aging processes have increased. Research on low-salt recipes to reduce the sodium in gejang brine is also active.
Latest Trends
As of 2024–2025, the gejang market shows three major trends. First, convenience food (HMR) trend. Refrigerated and frozen products with ganjang gejang and yangnyeom gejang in small packages have grown rapidly in large supermarkets and online channels, and the perception of gejang as “a side dish bought and eaten rather than made at home” has taken hold. Second, stronger safety regulations. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has strengthened hygiene standards for unheated seafood and reorganized management standards in the direction of recommending that manufacturers introduce low-temperature aging and sterilization processes. Third, premiumization and regional branding. In production areas such as Seosan, Taean, and Sinan, gejang experience and tourism products linked to blue crab brands are being developed, and logistics and quarantine responses for export ganjang gejang are being expanded. In addition, price fluctuations have increased due to rising prices and changes in blue crab catches, and experimental attempts such as low-cost products using substitute ingredients and plant-based alternative gejang (vegan gejang) are also appearing.
Related Topics
- [[간장게장]]
- [[양념게장]]
- [[꽃게]]
- [[젓갈]]
- [[한식]]
- [[수산물]]
- [[식품 안전]]