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Korea, Asia

Haemul Pajeon (Korean Seafood Scallion Pancake)

A crisp-edged Korean pancake packed with whole scallions, squid and shrimp, cut into squares and dipped in a tangy soy-vinegar sauce.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time25 min
DifficultyMedium

Method

  1. Rinse the scallions, shake them dry and trim the roots, then cut them in half so they fit across your pan. Split any thick white ends lengthwise so they cook as fast as the greens. Cut the squid into strips 1 cm wide and 4 cm long, chop the shrimp into 1–2 cm pieces and thinly slice both chilies on the diagonal.

    Add in this stepScallions (thin green onions) 100 gSquid (cleaned) 80 gPeeled raw shrimp 80 gGreen chili 1Red chili ½

  2. In a bowl, whisk the flour, potato starch and salt with the ice-cold water until there are no lumps. Beat the egg separately, stir half into the batter and keep the rest for later. The batter should run off a spoon like heavy cream. In a small dish, mix the soy sauce, vinegar, chili flakes and sesame seeds for the dipping sauce.

    Add in this stepAll-purpose flour 90 gPotato starch (or cornstarch) 20 gSalt ½ tspIce-cold water 150 mlEgg 1Soy sauce 1½ tbspRice vinegar 1 tbspKorean chili flakes (gochugaru) ½ tspToasted sesame seeds ½ tsp

  3. Pour enough oil into a 26 cm frying pan to coat the bottom thinly and heat it over medium-high heat for . When a drop of batter sizzles immediately, the pan is ready.

    Add in this stepCooking oil 2⅛ tbsp

    medium-high heat

  4. Lay the scallions side by side in one direction, then ladle the batter evenly over them so it fills the gaps. Scatter the seafood and chilies on top, drizzle on 1–2 tbsp more batter to glue them down, then pour the reserved egg around the top. Cook over medium-high heat for , until the edges are brown and crisp and the whole pancake slides when you shake the pan (pancakes: 1, cooked one at a time).

    medium-high heat

  5. Flip it in one go with two spatulas and add a little more oil around the edge. Press it down firmly with the spatula and cook over medium heat for , then flip once more and give the top 30 seconds to re-crisp. It is done when the squid is opaque white and the shrimp are pink.

    Add in this stepCooking oil 0.9 tbsp

    medium heat

  6. Slide it onto a board, cut it into squares and serve right away with the dipping sauce.

Cook's tip

Cold batter fries crisper, so float 2–3 ice cubes in it. Pour on just enough to still see the scallions; too much batter makes the pancake thick and doughy. Thawed frozen mixed seafood works too, as long as you squeeze it dry in paper towels.

Cooking it at camp

A burner and one wide pan are all you need. Prep the batter and seafood at home and carry them in sealed tubs in the cooler. Camp burners heat unevenly, so check the colour underneath before flipping, and use a windscreen to keep the cooking times steady.