Haemul Pajeon

Haemul pajeon is a Korean seafood pancake made up of seafood, chives, egg batter, and a mixture of flours. The classical Korean pancake uses a battered egg, mixed wheat flour, and green onions; however, the seafood Korean pancake in this recipe uses chives instead.

Pajeon became a popular dish during the Joseon Dynasty between 1392 and 1910. It is now a beloved Korean cuisine snack, appetizer, or side dish. Haemul pajeon is a variation of pajeon, which has additional ingredients using seafood, such as squid, oysters, abalone, and clams. Adding seafood to pajeon provides a great source of protein, enhancing the dish’s flavour and texture. The taste of harmful pajeon harmonizes very well with a dipping sauce made from soy sauce, vinegar, sesame seed, sesame seed oil, and chili flakes. 

What do you need to make Haemul Pajeon?

Pancake mix, Pinch of salt, Pepper, Ice water, Red chili, and Asian Chives (Garlic chives), Eggs, Calamari, Shrimps. Soy sauce, Sesame seeds, Sesame seed oil, Vinegar.

Haemul Pajeon translates to ”seafood pancake”. Seafood ingredients such as calamari and shrimps form the foundation of this dish. You can also use other types of seafood such as sliced scallops, muscles, clams, crab meat, octopus and fish. In terms of fish varieties, consider white fish for its light flavour, two options are cod and tilapia. Eggs serve as a binding agent in this dish, the combination of the spices, seafood and panckae mix makes this an extraodinary dish.

We are using a store-bought pancake mix for this recipe, this means that it will have all of the right components to ensure that it has a crispy exterior and a soft interior. An interesting technique that I learnt whilst in Korea is to use ice-water for the pancake mix, it gives the pancake a light and airy consistency.

Garlic chives makes this dish rather unique as it gives the pancake a pop of colour as well as flavour. We do not recommend using Green onions for this recipe, as it is important to use a flat leaf herb. You can use regular chives for this recipe, as Garlic chives are typically native to Asia. Thinly sliced shallots or leeks will also make great substitutes.

Instructions

Wash the Calamari, cut it in half, and remove the sand. Use a knife to scrape it clean. Then, rewash the Calamari and slice it into 1 cm strips. Clean and remove the shrimp shells, wash the Shrimp, and set aside.

There are many Korean pancake brands, so we chose ‘O Food‘ for this recipe. Korean pancake mixes are savoury compositions of wheat and rice flour; they also contain onion powder, garlic powder, and salt.

Add 250 grams of Pancake flour into a bowl. Add 400 ml of ice water. Mix into a batter. Ice water will result in a crispy seafood pancake. Use the handheld whisk to mix the flour thoroughly. Continuously stir and add a small amount of water to remove any clumps of flour. The consistency of the flour mix will be semi-watery and loose—thinly slice one red chili.

Take the Garlic chives and chop them in half. Garlic chives are usually 30 cm in length. Chop the chives in half, about 5 cm. This step will ensure that the garlic chives fit into the pan. Add them to the pancake batter. Prepare a separate plate with 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour. Add the seafood ingredients and coat them with flour. Add the flour-coated seafood to the batter. This will ensure that the chopped-up seafood does not clump in one portion of the pancake.

Add two tablespoons of olive oil to the preheated pan on medium-low heat. Begin pouring the pancake batter onto the pan. The layer of the pancake batter is typically thin. Haemul pajeon is not a thick seafood pancake. The traditional pancake is supposed to be thin and crispy. It will take about two minutes on medium-high heat to cook the pancake on each side.

The pancake will be ready to flip when the edges of the pajeon begin to turn light yellow. Before you flip the pajeon, lift the edge to check if the underneath of the pancake has been cooked. This step will ensure that the pancake is ready to be flipped. After the pancake has been flipped, add extra olive oil to the edges to ensure that they are crispy. Cook the flipped side for 2 minutes on medium-low heat, then flip over.

Add the thinly sliced red chilies on top of the pancake and serve. Some individuals add the red chilies to the batter and have that extra heat in the pancake layers. However, that can be a little spicy for most people.

Now, it’s time to make the dipping sauce, which is relatively easy to make at home and adds much flavour. Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame seed oil to a bowl and mix. Thereafter, add sesame seeds to the bowl. Serve with the Haemul Pajeon.

What can you Serve with Haemul Pajeon?

Haemul pajeon is usually served as a snack, appetizer, or side dish. Some people crave this Korean seafood pancake when it rains, and the reason behind it is that the sound of the pancake sizzling on oil is similar to the sound of a raindrop.

Even though this dish is called Korean pancake, it is a savoury dish rather than a sweet pancake dessert. Often, haemul pajeon goes hand-in-hand with Makguli, a Korean rice beverage. Consider serving Haemul Pajeon as an appetizer, and for the main-meal, prepare Dakbokkeumtang, Kimchi Bokkeumpap, Kimbap, Gungjung Tteokbokkie.

How to Store Haemul Pajeon?

Store in a Tupperware in the fridge for two to three days. The best part about this recipe is that you can freeze the leftovers. This is helpful if you’re making a large quantity. It can freeze for up to three months. It is essential to use parchment paper, this will ensure that the pancakes do not stick to one another. Defrost on the countertop for two hours and heat on the stove or in the oven.