Korean Seafood Pancake (Haemul Pajeon)
Recreate the authentic Korean seafood pancake in your kitchen with all the savory flavors, a soft interior, and a crispy outside that you will surely love!
Servings: 2 to 4 servings (3 pancakes)
Ingredients
- 1 cup seafood mix (*Footnote 1)
- 9 to 12 green onions , sliced in half lengthwise and cut in half (*Footnote 2)
- 1 egg , beaten
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
Batter:
- 1 cup (150 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or 1 clove minced garlic)
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (or black pepper)
- 1 cup + 3 tablespoons ice water (*Footnote 3)
Dipping Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce (or regular soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese chili flakes
Instructions
- Combine the dry ingredients of the batter in a medium-sized bowl. Slowly stir in the water and mix with a spatula until it forms a smooth, runny batter that can just coat the back of a spoon. Add a bit more water if the batter is still a bit thick and mix again.
- Mix the dipping sauce ingredients until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet until hot.
- Add half of the green onions to the pan in a single even layer, forming a rectangle about 7” by 9” (18 cm by 23 cm).
- Drizzle about 4 tablespoon of batter evenly over the green onions.
- Spread 1/3 cup of seafood mix evenly across the pancake and drizzle another 2 to 4 tablespoons of batter evenly over the seafood.
- Turn the heat to medium and allow the pancake to cook for 1 minute.
- Add about a third of the beaten egg over the pancake and spread it with a brush or a spoon to form an even layer.
- Cook the pancake for another 1 to 2 minutes, occasionally checking underneath, until it is browned and crisp.
- In one fluid motion, flip the pancake using a spatula (or two spatulas). It may be necessary to add another tablespoon of oil to the pan.
- Cook the pancake until the seafood side is browned and cooked through, another 2 to 4 minutes.
- Turn the pancake out onto a cutting board and slice into 9 squares or 8 triangles.
- Add more to the pan and repeat steps 4 through 11 to cook the remaining two pancakes.
- Serve hot with the dipping sauce on the side as an appetizer or main.
Notes
- If you are using frozen seafood mix, you need to thaw it before using. To measure frozen seafood mix, you will need to use a heaping cup. It will be about a cup after thawing.
- The number of green onions depends on their size. If the green onions are large (and come in 6 a batch at the grocery store), use 9. If they are smaller (8 in a batch), use up to 12.
- Depending on the brand of flour you use, you might need to slightly adjust the water ratio to form a thin, runny batter that could just coat the back of a spoon.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 295kcal, Carbohydrates: 29.2g, Protein: 9.5g, Fat: 15.4g, Saturated Fat: 3.3g, Cholesterol: 70mg, Sodium: 694mg, Potassium: 177mg, Fiber: 2.1g, Sugar: 1.8g, Calcium: 60mg, Iron: 3mg