Savory and delicious pajeon is a perfect crowd pleaser with any Korean meal. Learn how to make “Haemul Pajeon” (Korean seafood and green onion pancakes). It’s so easy!
Today, I’m sharing one of the most frequently requested recipes, Korean Pajeon (파전).
What is Pajeon?
Pajeon is a variety of Korean pancake that uses green onion / scallion as a prominent ingredient. So it is translated as green onion pancakes or scallion pancakes.
Other than green onions, it is also made with homemade or pre-made Korean pancake mix, water, egg and commonly, a mix of seafood.
The Korean name for this seafood and green onion pancakes is Haemul Pajeon (해물파전). I normally just add in squid / calamari and prawns, but you can throw in any seafood kinds you like here such as clams, mussels, and oysters etc.
If you are allergic to seafood or a vegetarian, just omit the seafood and cook with the rest of the ingredients. Some people also add a small amount of minced beef, but I much prefer seafood as the main source of protein in this recipe.
Jeon (전) vs. Buchimgae (부침개)
If you translate these two words – Jeon and Buchimgae in English, they both mean Korean pancakes. But how are they different?
I’m not 100% on this, but as far as I can gather based on the little information available in the Korean online community – Naver, the main difference between them is the “cooking technique“.
For Buchimgae all prepared ingredients (e.g. flour, water, vegetables, meat etc) are mixed in a large mixing bowl then they are scooped out with a ladle then cooked.
For Jeon, the main ingredients (e.g. vegetables and meat) are individually coated with flour mixture then placed onto a frying pan separately, maximizing the shapes and contents of the individual ingredients.
Though you may notice that many Koreans use the wording buchimgae and jeon interchangeably as well.
Another Famous Pajeon: Dongnae Pajeon (동래파전)
As for the pajeon, another famous variety is Dongnae Pajeon (동래파전), which originates from Busan, South Korea. Based on this video (produced by Busan metropolitan city), you will notice that Dongnae Pajeon is quite different to my recipe.
Surprisingly though, some people don’t like Dongnae Pajeon as its texture is quite different to a regular pajeon. Apparently, it has a more soggy wet texture rather than crispy texture.
How To Serve Pajeon
Typically Dongnae Pajeon is served with Cho-gochujang (초고추장: sweet, tangy and spicy Korean dipping sauce). But regular pajeon is served with sweet and tangy Korean pancake dipping sauce, which is so delicious! I hope you get to try my pajeon and pancake dipping sauce recipes!
My Pajeon Making Tips
- Based on my experiment, a good quality sparkling water can make your batter crispier. But it will make your batter a bit thicker, so it won’t spread as easily on the pan compared to the water. But I think it’s worth trying it given the increased chance of having crispy Korean pajeon!
- Cooking temperature can vary depending on the heat elements (e.g. gas cooktop, electric cooktop etc) and also the types of pan you use. Adjust the heat level accordingly as the pancake can get burnt easily. Likewise, if the cooking temperature is too low, the batter will absorb excessive oil and it will turn out soggy and not crispy.
- If you want to serve the dipping sauce with these pancakes, prepare it before you start making the pancakes. This is so that you can enjoy the nice, warm and crispy pancakes straight after cooking it.
- If you don’t use up the ingredients on the same day you prepare it, you can keep them in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. Keep the pancake mixture, seafood and vegetables all separately in an air tight container.
- You can reheat the cooked pancake in a microwave, over the stove or in an air fryer.
P.S. Do you have too much green onions at hand? Then find out how to store them better from this article; How to store green onions (With this method, my green onions last 5 to 6 weeks easily and what is more, no planting is involved!)
More Korean Pancake Recipes
Do you want to try different Korean pancakes? Try these!
Watch How to Make Korean Pajeon
Ingredients for Korean Seafood and Green Onion Pancakes, Yields 2 pancakes
(enough for 4 servings as an appetizer)
- 1 cup plain flour, sifted
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 & 1/8 tsp fine salt
- 1 & 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1 & 1/8 tsp onion powder
- 1 cup icy cold water or sparkling water
- 12 green onion tops (green part), cleaned and cut lengthways to fit your skillet
- 100g / 3.5 ounces calamari, cleaned and cut into little finger sized pieces
- 100g / 3.5 ounces prawns, cleaned and cut into smaller pieces
- A few sprinkles ground black pepper, to marinate the seafood
- 1 egg, beaten
- (optional) 1 red chili, thinly diagonally sliced
- 6 Tbsp cooking oil, (approx. 3 Tbsp per pancake), I used rice bran oil
* 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 Tbsp = 15 ml
** This recipe is made from scratch using plain flour and other seasonings. If you choose to use Korean pancake mix (pre-mix) instead, omit the flour, cornstarch, salt, garlic powder and onion powder.
How to Make Korean Seafood Pancake
1. Prepare a medium size bowl and add flour, cornstarch, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder and the icy cold water. Whisk it well. Transfer the pancake batter into a measuring jug (for easier pouring).
2. Preheat the frying pan on high heat until the bottom of the pan is well heated. Add cooking oil (approx. 3 Tbsp) and ensure the oil is spread all the way around the pan. (Watch out for oil splash.)
3. Wait until the temperature of the oil is ready to cook (about 1 minute). To check, drop a bit of pancake batter into the pan. If it sizzles, it is ready. Reduce the heat to medium high heat. Pour out the pancake batter (from step 1, use just less than half a cup) and spread it evenly and thinly around the pan.
4. Place 6 green onion tops on the pancake batter parallel to each other and pour out a little bit of the pancake batter onto and between the green onions, filling the gaps. Reduce the heat to medium.
5. Place some calamari, prawns and red chilies (optional) sparingly on top of the green onions.
6. Use a spoon to drizzle half of the beaten egg over the top of the pancake. While cooking, move the pancake in a circular motion from time to time, so the pancake doesn’t get stuck to the pan.
7. Turn the pancake over when you see the top of the pancake partially cooked. (This makes it easy to turn the pancake. It takes around 4 minutes). Add more cooking oil around the edges of the pancake circle if necessary to release. Press the pancake with the spatula a couple of times to sizzle and make it crispy. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the heat off and transfer onto a plate or a cutting board.
8. Repeat step 2 to 7 for the remainder batter to use up the ingredients.
9. Slice the pancake into bite size pieces. Serve it with Korean pancake sauce.
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Korean Seafood and Green Onion Pancakes (Haemul Pajeon)
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 1/8 tsp fine salt
- 1 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/8 tsp onion powder
- 1 cup water , icy cold or quality sparkling water
- 12 green onion tops (green part), cleaned and cut lengthways to fit your skillet
- 100 g calamari (3.5 ounces), cleaned and cut into little finger sized pieces
- 100 g prawns (3.5 ounces), cleaned and cut into smaller pieces
- A few sprinkles ground black peppers , to marinate seafood
- 1 egg , beaten
- 1 red chili (optional), thinly diagonally sliced
- 6 Tbsp cooking oil (approx. 3 Tbsp per pancake), I used rice bran oil
Instructions
- Prepare a medium size bowl and add flour, cornstarch, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder and the icy cold water. Whisk it well. Transfer the pancake batter into a measuring jug (for easier pouring).
- Preheat the frying pan on high heat until the bottom of the pan is well heated. Add cooking oil (approx. 3 Tbsp) and ensure the oil is spread all the way around the pan. (Watch out for oil splash.)
- Wait until the temperature of the oil is ready to cook (about 1 minute). To check, drop a bit of pancake batter into the pan. If it sizzles, it is ready. Reduce the heat to medium high heat. Pour out the pancake batter (from step 1, use just less than half a cup) and spread it evenly and thinly around the pan.
- Place 6 green onion tops on the pancake batter parallel to each other and pour out a little bit of the pancake batter onto and between the green onions, filling the gaps. Reduce the heat to medium.
- Place some calamari, prawns and red chilies (optional) sparingly on top of the green onions.
- Use a spoon to drizzle half of the beaten egg over the top of pancake. While cooking, move the pancake in a circular motion from time to time, so the pancake doesn’t get stuck to the pan.
- Turn the pancake over when you see the top of the pancake partially cooked. (This makes it easy to turn the pancake. It takes around 4 minutes). Add more cooking oil around the edges of the pancake circle if necessary to release. Press the pancake with the spatula a couple of times to sizzle and make it crispy. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the heat off and transfer onto a plate or a cutting board.
- Repeat step 2 to 7 for the remainder batter to use up the ingredients.
- Slice the pancake into bite size pieces. Serve it with Korean pancake sauce.
Notes
- 2 pancakes will be enough for 4 servings as an appetizer.
- 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 Tbsp = 15 ml
- This recipe is made from scratch using plain flour and other seasonings. If you choose to use Korean pancake mix (pre-mix) instead, omit the flour, cornstarch, salt, garlic powder and onion powder.
Nutrition Info (per serving)
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
