Haemul Pajeon

About This Recipe

Haemul pajeon is Korea's great rainy-day dish — a broad, golden pancake built on a lattice of whole green onions and studded with shrimp, squid, and mussels, crisp and lacy at the edges while staying savory-chewy at the center. The name says it plainly: haemul (seafood) pa (green onion) jeon (pan-fried). Good pajeon depends on restraint and temperature: a thin batter made with ice-cold water and a little rice flour, just enough to bind the onions, fried in generous oil that's properly hot. Tradition holds that the sizzle of pajeon in the pan sounds like falling rain, which is why Koreans crave it — with a bowl of cloudy makgeolli rice wine — the moment the weather turns.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 cupall-purpose flour
• 1/4 cuprice flour
• 1egg
• 3/4 cupice cold water
• 1 tspsalt
• 1/2 tspgarlic powder
• 1 bunchgreen onions, halved lengthwise (about 12)
• 200 gmixed seafood (shrimp, squid, mussels), chopped
• 1 smallcarrot, julienned
• 1red chili, sliced
• 4 tbspneutral oil
• 3 tbspsoy sauce (for dipping)
• 1 tbsprice vinegar (for dipping)
• 1 tspsesame oil (for dipping)
• 1 tspsesame seeds (for dipping)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make batter

   Whisk the flour, rice flour, egg, ice-cold water, salt, and garlic powder until mostly smooth — a few small lumps are fine and overmixing develops gluten that makes the pancake bready. The batter should run off the whisk like thin cream.

   Ice-cold water is the crispness secret: it delays gluten formation and creates a lighter, crunchier crust, exactly as in tempura.

2. 2

   Make dipping sauce

   Stir together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds in a small bowl and set aside. The sharp, tangy sauce is the essential counterpoint to the rich fried pancake — make it first so it's ready the moment the pajeon comes off the heat.

3. 3

   Heat pan

   Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick or well-seasoned skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Pajeon is shallow-fried, not griddled — generous oil and real heat are what produce the lacy golden edges.

4. 4

   Layer green onions

   Lay the halved green onions in a single tight layer across the pan, alternating white and green ends so the pancake is even. The onions are the structure of pajeon, not a flavoring — they form the actual body of the pancake.

   Let the onions sizzle alone for 30 seconds before the batter goes on; lightly charred onions taste far sweeter.

5. 5

   Pour batter

   Pour half the batter slowly and evenly over the green onions, using just enough to barely cover and connect them. A thin batter layer is the goal — pajeon should be a crisp onion lattice held together by batter, not a thick flour pancake with onions lost inside.

6. 6

   Add toppings

   Scatter the chopped seafood, julienned carrot, and sliced chili evenly over the wet batter, pressing them in gently, then drizzle the remaining batter over the top to anchor everything in place. Pat dry any watery seafood first so it doesn't make the center gummy.

7. 7

   Cook

   Cook 4–5 minutes, pressing down occasionally with a spatula, until the bottom is deeply golden and the edges look crisp and lacy. Flip in one confident motion — or invert the pancake onto a plate and slide it back into the pan if it's too large to flip cleanly.

   Don't rush the first side; flipping too early is how pajeon tears and seafood scatters.

8. 8

   Finish

   Drizzle the last tablespoon of oil around the edges so it runs underneath, and cook 4 more minutes until the second side is golden and the seafood is fully cooked. Pressing with the spatula now maximizes contact and crunch on the finished side.

9. 9

   Serve

   Slide the pancake onto a board, cut into wedges or squares with a knife or kitchen scissors, and serve immediately while the edges still crackle, with the dipping sauce alongside. In Korea, a bowl of cold makgeolli is the canonical companion.

Variations

• •

  Kimchi-jeon: replace the seafood with well-squeezed chopped kimchi and a spoonful of its juice in the batter.

• •

  Add a few drops of gochujang or gochugaru to the dipping sauce for heat.

• •

  Dongnae pajeon, the Busan style: finish by pouring a beaten egg over the top before flipping for a richer pancake.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap seafood for shiitake mushrooms, zucchini, and extra carrot.

Storage

Best straight from the pan while the edges crackle. Refrigerate leftovers up to 2 days and re-crisp in an oiled skillet over medium heat — the microwave turns pajeon limp and rubbery.

Frequently Asked Questions