Korean Seafood Pancake (Haemul Pajeon)

Korean pancakes are one of my favourite dishes and also the simplest to make. For the batter, I like to use the Korean pancake mix that you can find at Korean/Asian markets, just because I prefer its taste, but you can make it with all-purpose flour, if that’s what you have at home. Let’s get to the recipe!

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup of Korean pancake mix (or all-purpose flour)
3/4 cup of water (or vegetable/chicken broth for additional flavour)
10 shrimps, peeled + deveined + cut in half (add any additional seafood, such as squid, cuttlefish, octopus, mussel)
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 teaspoon of gochugaru ( Korean chili pepper flakes)
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
3 stalks of scallion, cut into 2-3 inch pieces
2-3 Shiso (perilla leaves), roughly chopped (optional)
1 shallot (or 1/4 onion), sliced
1 egg

Start by placing Korean pancake mix or all-purpose flour in a large mixing bowl. Add in water, sesame oil, gochugaru, soy sauce, and mix well with a whisk. Then add in scallion, shiso, and shallots.

Bring a large skillet to medium heat and add 1-2 tablespoons of oil. Once the pan is hot, add in half of your shrimp and any additional seafood, and lightly cook them for about 15-20 seconds. Next, pour the batter mixture over the partially cooked seafood, and arrange the rest of the seafood on top. Cook the pancake until the bottom is a nice golden brown, and the top is not too runny (or else it will be hard to flip).

Crack an egg on top of the pancake and break the yolk as you spread the egg around. Now, flip the pancake! This takes practice if you’re doing it without the spatula, so if you don’t have a lot of experience with flipping pancakes or don’t feel confident enough to do so, then you’re going to need two spatulas to help you flip the pancake over.

Once the pancake is flipped over, drizzle some oil around the edge of the pancake so that the other side will also be golden brown and crispy. Remove once the seafood on the other side is cooked through and the bottom is golden brown. Place the pancake on a cutting board and using a large knife, cut the pancake into pieces, then arrange it on a plate. Serve with a dipping sauce consisting of soy sauce, white vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, sesame seeds, gochugaru, and scallion.

Advertisement