Month guide

Korean seasonal food in March

13 items are at their peak in Korea in March.

Fruit (2)

Korean strawberries are a winter-to-spring greenhouse fruit, not a summer one. Seolhyang is the...

A large, bump-topped Jeju citrus — sweeter and more aromatic than a regular tangerine, and price...

A flat, open-leafed cabbage that overwinters in the field. Eaten raw in a chili-sesame salad rat...

Boseong-area cockles are a winter fixture — briefly boiled, shells twisted open, and dressed wit...

Winter snow crab from the east coast, especially Yeongdeok. Steamed whole; the shell is then use...

Dodari is the spring counterpart to winter flounder, traditionally simmered with new mugwort in...

Spring clams are at their plumpest before spawning. The base for kalguksu broth and the classic...

Small and tender, jjukkumi peaks in spring when the head fills with rice-like eggs. Usually stir...

One of the first spring greens. Root and leaf are both used — dropped into doenjang stew for a n...

Dallae has a tiny white bulb and sharp garlic-onion bite. Chopped raw into a soy dressing spoone...

Deliberately bitter. Young leaves and stalks are blanched to soften the edge, then dressed with...

Minari is crunchy, stemmy and clean-tasting. Blanched as namul, piled into fish stews, or eaten...

Ssuk appears for a narrow window in early spring. Used in soups, and pounded into green ssuk-tte...

Item	Korean	Category	Peak months
Strawberry	딸기	Fruit	Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May
Hallabong	한라봉	Fruit	Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec
Spring Cabbage	봄동	Vegetable	Feb, Mar
Cockle	꼬막	Seafood	Jan, Feb, Mar, Nov, Dec
Snow Crab	대게	Seafood	Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec
Spotted Flounder	도다리	Seafood	Mar, Apr
Littleneck Clam	바지락	Seafood	Mar, Apr, May
Webfoot Octopus	주꾸미	Seafood	Mar, Apr, May
Shepherd's Purse	냉이	Greens & Herbs	Feb, Mar, Apr
Wild Chive	달래	Greens & Herbs	Mar, Apr
Butterbur	머위	Greens & Herbs	Mar, Apr
Water Parsley	미나리	Greens & Herbs	Mar, Apr, May
Mugwort	쑥	Greens & Herbs	Mar