Ojingeo-Twigim

A whole squid battered and deep-fried on a stick — a dramatic and satisfying Korean street market staple.

Ojingeo-twigim is the showstopper of the Korean street food cart: a whole small squid is flattened, scored in a crosshatch pattern, coated in a light savory batter, and then deep-fried until golden and crisp, served splayed on a skewer so it looks almost like a fan or a flat kite. The scoring allows the batter to penetrate the flesh, and the high heat of the oil causes the squid to curl slightly at the edges, creating crunchy frilled borders around a tender, sweet center. Busan, as a port city with a deep fishing culture, is particularly associated with ojingeo-twigim, and the Jagalchi fish market area has vendors who have been perfecting the technique for decades. The snack exemplifies Koreans' love of whole-animal eating and the waste-nothing philosophy applied even to street snacks. A dipping sauce of spicy gochujang mayonnaise or plain gochujang is typically offered alongside. The dramatic presentation makes it a favorite for food photography, and it has been featured in countless K-drama eating scenes, cementing its place in the national visual vocabulary of street food.