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There’s one dish that reliably pops into mind when spring rolls around: flounder. Every year, seafood markets and sashimi places hang signs advertising “spring flounder sekkoshi” — the ultra-thin sashimi. But pause for a second: was the spring flounder you ate actually the real thing?
YouTuber and seafood expert Kim Ji-min, who runs the channel \”Memories of a Bite TV,\” investigated the spring flounder scene. His findings are eye-opening. More than 90% of what’s sold as spring flounder at restaurants, supermarkets, and online shops is actually farmed kangdori — an estuarine flounder raised in aquaculture.
First, let’s clear up what people have been calling “spring flounder.” The fish traditionally used for spring sekkoshi and flounder soup is the true flounder, known as munchi gajami. In southern Korea, it’s long been called the “true flounder.” Today, though, most of what’s labeled simply as flounder is kangdori. Despite the similar names, kangdori is a different species. It lives in brackish waters where rivers meet the sea — hence the name — and it’s now produced on a large scale through aquaculture.
Is this fraud? Kim says not technically. The official or common names can include “flounder,” so from a legal or scientific standpoint the labeling isn’t false. The issue is more about consumer expectation: most people expect munchi gajami when they hear “flounder,” but kangdori also carries the flounder label. Legally fine, but a little misleading.
True spring flounder, the munchi gajami, hasn’t been commercialized in farms beyond experimental trials. The ones you see in markets are wild-caught. They’re mostly sold in southern markets, with very limited supply reaching Seoul and the greater capital area — meaning you’re more likely to find them at high-end Japanese restaurants than at your neighborhood fishmonger.
Try searching Naver Shopping for “spring flounder” or “flounder sekkoshi” and you’ll see the same pattern: eight or nine out of ten listings are farmed kangdori. If you really want the munchi gajami, search specifically for “munchi gajami” or “wild munchi gajami.”
Kim also shared easy ways to tell them apart. Start with the eye rule: when you look at a flatfish head-on, if the eyes are on the left it’s typically an olive flounder; if they’re on the right it’s usually a flounder or related gajami species. Kangdori is a quirky exception — though it’s part of the gajami group and would be expected to have right-sided eyes, it uniquely has them on the left. You can also spot it by the mottled spots on its fins. A more hands-on method is the mouth test: if you put a finger in and it bleeds, you’re likely dealing with an olive flounder; if it doesn’t, it’s a flounder or gajami. Olive flounder have sharp teeth and a big mouth, while flounder and gajami have thicker lips and smaller, cuter mouths.
We also need to rethink the common belief that spring is the peak season for flounder. Kim points out that munchi gajami really fattens up after May and June. Early-spring fish tend to be leaner and haven’t reached optimal flavor yet. Fish from the West Coast (the Yellow Sea) are typically about a month behind southern catches, so the best taste shows up in April or May for southern fish and a bit later for western ones. In fact, munchi gajami often reaches peak fattiness from July through September. Kangdori, by contrast, doesn’t have a strong seasonal peak. Producers just concentrate shipments in spring because demand spikes then — but a thick, meaty kangdori eaten in summer or fall can be just as satisfying.
For sekkoshi, smaller fish are best. Bigger flounder develop tougher bones and are harder to chew; small, plump fish deliver the signature delicate texture. At market auctions, small but meaty munchi gajami can fetch nearly ₩40,000–₩50,000 per kg — roughly $30–$37.50 per kg (about $13.61–$17.01 per lb) — because of that premium quality.
So should you insist on wild munchi gajami? Kim’s conclusion surprised many. In blind taste tests, the difference is minimal — a sliver, not a dramatic gap. A fresh, meaty farmed kangdori can be delicious. Because sekkoshi is typically dipped in ssamjang (savory dipping paste) or chojang (spicy vinegar sauce), extreme differences are harder to notice. In the end, freshness, size, and how plump the flesh is matter far more than species or whether the fish is wild or farmed.
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