Servings
Font
Back
4.7 from 372 votes

Haemul Pajeon (Seafood Scallion Pancake)

Crispy delicious Korean scallion pancakes with seafood!

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Servings: 4
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Korean

Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 to 2 cups assortment of seafood squid, shrimp, mussels, oysters, clams, etc., cut into bite sizes
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 or 2 bunches scallions
  • 1 red chili pepper - optional
  • 1 egg lightly beaten - optional
Batter - makes 2 large (about 7 to 8-inch) pancakes
  • 1 cup Korean pancake mix, buchim garu, 부침가루 (or all purpose flour or gluten free flour with 1/2 teaspoon salt - See note)
Dipping Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • pinch of black pepper
  • pinch of gochugaru Korean red chili pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar - optional
  • 1 tablespoon chopped scallion - optional
  • 1 tablespoon Diced onion - optional

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Prepare the seafood, scallions and optional pepper, draining excess water. (Wet ingredients will make pajeon soggy.) Cut the scallions in half crosswise. Cut the white part of the scallions lengthwise if thick. Mix the seafood with the sesame oil.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the pancake mix with 3/4 cup icy cold water. You may need a couple more tablespoons but add one tablespoon at a time. The batter should be thinner than a Western breakfast pancake batter and thicker than a crepe batter. (For a crispy pajeon, the batter should be relatively thin.) Mix in 1/2 of the seafood.
  3. Heat 3 to 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat, ladle 1/2 of the mixture into the pan and spread it evenly into a thin round shape.
  4. Arrange the scallions in a single layer on top of the batter, pressing them down into the batter. Add 1/2 of the remaining seafood and a few slices of the optional pepper.
  5. Spoon one half of the optional lightly beaten egg on top. Cook until the bottom is golden brown (3-4 minutes). Reduce the heat to medium if the pancake is browning too fast.
  6. Turn it over, adding more oil (2 to 3 tablespoons) around the edges. Cook for another 3-4 minutes. Repeat the process with the remaining batter and ingredients. Serve hot off the pan with dipping sauce.
Optional method
  1. Cut the scallions shorter, 2 to 3-inch lengths. You can mix everything with the batter, except the egg. Ladle 1/2 of the mixture into the heated pan and spread it evenly into a thin round shape. Follow the directions above from step 5 for pan-frying.

Notes

  • Use 1/2 cup buchim garu and 1/2 cup frying mix, if available. for extra crispy pancakes.
  • You can also simply use all purpose flour or gluten free flour, or recreate your own pancake mix similar to commercial premix by mixing 3/4 flour, 2 tablespoons rice flour, 2 tablespoons potato (or cornstarch), 1 teaspoon minced garlic (or powder), and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Also, try different ratios of the mix to find your favorite.