Haemul Pajeon
Seafood scallion pancake.
Haemul pajeon (해물파전) is a Korean savory pancake of green onions and seafood, fried crisp at the edges and tender in the middle. It is rainy-day food. There is a Korean expression, pajeon and makgeolli on a rainy day, that captures something specific about the longing for a hot, crisp pancake when the sky goes grey.
Pajeon comes from the southern coast, especially Busan and the city of Dongnae, which still considers itself the home of the dish. The original Dongnae pajeon uses very thin green onions (jjokpa) and a much larger pancake than the home version.
This is Mrs. Lee’s home version, a manageable size, mixed seafood from the freezer or the market, and a dipping sauce that takes the same five minutes as the batter.
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, rice flour, salt, egg, and cold water until you have a thin pancake batter. Refrigerate 10 minutes, cold batter fries crispier.
- Pat the seafood dry. Chop the green onions into 6-inch lengths.
- Mix the dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat.
- Lay the green onions flat across the pan in a single layer. Scatter carrot and chilies. Arrange seafood on top.
- Pour the batter slowly over everything, just enough to coat, you should still see the vegetables through it.
- Cook 4 to 5 minutes until the bottom is deep golden brown. Drizzle a little more oil around the edges.
- Flip in one decisive motion (or use a plate to invert). Cook another 4 minutes on the second side.
- Slide onto a cutting board. Cut into squares with scissors. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce.
Tips that don’t fit on a recipe card.
Ice-cold water in the batter. This is the single most important step. Cold batter produces crisp pancakes; warm batter produces soft ones.
Don’t crowd the pan. Two thinner pancakes are better than one thick one. Aim for a pancake about as thick as your phone.
The drizzle of oil before the flip. Right before flipping, drizzle oil around the edges. It will run under and crisp the bottom even more.
What goes alongside.
- Makgeolli (Korean rice wine), the classic pairing
- A side of kimchi
- On a rainy day, do not bother with much else
Variations
Kimchi pajeon: Replace the seafood with chopped aged kimchi. Vegetable pajeon: Skip the seafood; use mushroom, carrot, and zucchini. Both are excellent and faster.
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