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holding a pajeon piece with a pair of chopsticks
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5 from 21 votes

Korean Seafood and Green Onion Pancakes (Haemul Pajeon)

Learn how to make "Haemul Pajeon" (Korean seafood and green onion pancakes). It is a perfect crowd pleaser with any Korean meal and it is so easy to make!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Korean
Keyword: green onion pancake, haemul pajeon, korean pajeon, korean seafood pancake, pajeon
Servings: 2 pancakes
Calories: 783kcal
Author: Sue Pressey

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-sized bowl and add the flour, cornstarch, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and icy cold water. Whisk well. Transfer the pancake batter to a measuring jug for easier pouring.
  • Add approximately 3 tablespoons of cooking oil to a moderately heated frying pan, spreading it evenly around the pan. Increase the heat to high and preheat the pan until the bottom is well heated. (Be cautious as the oil heats up.)
  • Wait until the oil is hot enough for cooking (about 1 minute). To check, drop a small amount of pancake batter into the pan—if it sizzles, the oil is ready. Reduce the heat to medium-high. Pour just under half a cup of pancake batter (from step 1) into the pan and spread it evenly and thinly.
  • Place 6 green onion tops on the pancake batter, parallel to each other. Pour a little bit of the pancake batter over and between the green onions, filling the gaps. Reduce the heat to medium.
  • Place some calamari, prawns, and red chilies (optional) sparingly over the green onions.
  • Use a spoon to drizzle half of the beaten egg over the pancake. While cooking, gently move the pancake in a circular motion from time to time to prevent it from sticking to the pan.
  • Flip the pancake when the top is partially cooked (this makes flipping easier and takes about 4 minutes). If needed, add more cooking oil around the edges of the pancake to help release it. Press the pancake with a spatula a couple of times to create a sizzle and make it crispy. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer the pancake onto a plate or cutting board.
  • Repeat steps 2 to 7 with the remaining ingredients until everything is used up.
  • Slice the pancake into bite-sized pieces. Serve it with Korean pancake sauce.

Notes

  1. 2 pancakes will be enough for 4 servings as an appetizer.
  2. 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 Tbsp = 15 ml
  3. 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

Calories: 783kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 28g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 324mg | Sodium: 1773mg | Potassium: 563mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1067IU | Vitamin C: 51mg | Calcium: 175mg | Iron: 6mg