Coconut Shrimp and Baby Crab in Myeongdong: ₩10,000 Each, Halal-Certified, and How to Pay
The Myeongdong street stall "Coconut Shrimp Wrapped Around Fried Crab" (코코넛 새우가 품은 게튀김) sells coconut fried shrimp and baby crab for ₩10,000 each. A price board hangs above the cart, cash, bank transfer, credit cards and QR pay are all accepted, and a halal certification mark hangs alongside. When you finish eating, hand your trash to the vendor and they dispose of it for you.
What kind of stall is "Coconut Shrimp Wrapped Around Fried Crab"?
The name is written right there on the yellow sign: 코코넛 새우가 품은 게튀김. The name is the menu, so there is no standing in front of the cart wondering what they sell.
Above the counter hangs a halal (HALAL) certification mark. If you are looking for stalls in Myeongdong that carry halal signage, this one is visible from a distance.
Behind the counter there are two frying pots. Shrimp goes in one, crab in the other, kept separate. Each pot has a thermometer stuck into it, so you can see the vendor is managing the oil by temperature rather than by eye.
I walk past this spot every day on my way to the cafe I run, and the question people ask about this stall always comes down to the same one. How much.
How much do the coconut shrimp and baby crab cost?
You do not have to ask the price. The official Myeongdong Street Stalls "price by item" board hangs above the cart, with the menu names and prices written on it by hand. Exactly as photographed, both items are ₩10,000.
| Menu | Price | Per bowl |
|---|---|---|
| Coconut fried shrimp | ₩10,000 | 3–4 shrimp |
| Baby crab (fried crab) | ₩10,000 | 10–12 crabs |
One thing worth pointing out. Both items are ₩10,000, but the bowls look quite different when you get them. The coconut shrimp bowl holds 3–4 large shrimp; the baby crab bowl holds 10–12 small crabs.
So comparing them by piece count will steer you wrong. A shrimp is large, a baby crab is small. Either one is a reasonable snack portion for one person.
Once you have checked the price, payment is the next hurdle. The real question is whether you need cash.
Can you pay by card or QR at a Myeongdong street stall?
Yes. This stall takes four payment methods:
- Cash
- Bank transfer
- Credit card
- QR pay
That said, at an outdoor stall cash is the fastest and most straightforward. This is fried food, so pulling out a card or a phone to pay comes with a decent chance of getting oil on it. Cash struck me as the cleanest option here.
A NAMANE and Alipay+ QR payment board is mounted on the stall's post. The board shows a QR code alongside a row of payment app logos, with the instruction "Please scan the QR code to pay" printed in Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese. I also confirmed the vendors can handle basic English for ordering and paying.
The process is to scan the QR code and then enter the amount yourself. That is what the board says.
With payment sorted, what is left is how long you actually have to wait.
How long does it take to get your food after ordering?
Frying takes around five minutes. These are whole shellfish going into the oil, so it is not a quick turnaround.
In practice, though, you rarely wait the full five minutes. The vendors watch how sales are moving and fry a batch ahead of time, portioning it into bowls.
There is a row of black bowls along the front of the counter, shrimp on the left and crab on the right. If pre-filled bowls are still there, you can take one and go. If they have all sold, you wait for the next batch to fry.
If you are worried about waiting, count the bowls at the front of the counter first. That is the quickest way to gauge how long it will take.
What do the coconut shrimp and baby crab taste like?
What is the texture of the coconut fried shrimp?
I bought a golden-fried shrimp while I was taking these photos. The outside is crisp, the inside stays moist. That contrast is the whole point of this dish.
Eaten in one bite, a light coconut sweetness comes through while the soft flesh holds together with the batter. It is a flavor most people will like, and it stuck with me as one kids in particular would go for.
What is the texture of the baby crab?
The baby crab is a different animal. It is noticeably harder than the shrimp. In exchange, the more you chew, the more a nutty, savory flavor comes up and lingers.
One thing I have to flag, though. For older people with weak teeth, this hardness could make it uncomfortable to eat. If you are traveling as a family, factor that in ahead of time.
What about the nutritional side of shrimp and crab?
Shrimp is a classic high-protein, low-fat, low-calorie ingredient. It is rich in protein and low in calories, which helps with building muscle and with dieting, and the taurine and omega-3 fatty acids in it are known to support vascular health.
Crab contains chitosan and omega-3 fatty acids, which help lower blood cholesterol, and it is rich in taurine and amino acids that can put some energy back into a body worn out from traveling.
Taste covered. What is left is where foreign visitors most often get stuck: where do you eat it once you have it, and what do you do with the leftovers.
Where do you eat it, and where does the trash go?
The food comes in a takeaway container with disposable wooden chopsticks, so you can eat while walking or stand right in front of the stall and eat there.
What you cannot do is sit down. This is an outdoor stall, so there are no tables or chairs. Standing or walking are the only two options.
For the trash, just hand it back to the vendor. The bottom of the Myeongdong Street Stalls price board reads "You can leave your garbage with us," printed in Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese. The stall's willingness to take your trash is stated officially, on the sign.
Because of this trash collection campaign, the streets of Myeongdong stay fairly clean for a tourist area. From the perspective of someone who walks through it to work every day, this is one part of the Myeongdong Street Stalls system that is working.
Frequently asked questions
How much is coconut fried shrimp in Myeongdong?
₩10,000. Baby crab (fried crab) is the same ₩10,000. Both items and their prices are written on the Myeongdong Street Stalls price board hanging above the cart. One bowl holds 3–4 shrimp, or 10–12 baby crabs.
Can I pay by credit card or QR at this Myeongdong stall?
Yes. Cash, bank transfer, credit card and QR pay are all accepted. A NAMANE and Alipay+ QR board is mounted on the stall post, with instructions in Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese to scan the code and then enter the amount.
Is this stall halal certified?
A halal (HALAL) certification mark hangs above the stall counter. It sits directly above the QR payment board, so it is visible as soon as you stand in front of the cart. The stall sells two items: coconut fried shrimp and baby crab.
Can I sit down to eat what I order?
There is no seating. It is an outdoor stall with no tables or chairs. Since the food comes in a takeaway container with disposable wooden chopsticks, your two options are eating standing at the stall or carrying it with you.
Where do I throw away the trash when I'm done?
Hand it back to the vendor and they dispose of it for you. The Myeongdong Street Stalls price board carries a "You can leave your garbage with us" notice in four languages. You do not need to hunt for a bin.
Myeongdong street food: where to look next
Myeongdong street stalls differ from one another in how prices are posted and which payment methods they take. This blog also collects other stalls I have bought from, eaten at and photographed myself while running a cafe in Myeongdong.
If you want to decide what to try first on your next visit, the other Myeongdong street food posts are worth reading alongside this one.
