Haemul Pajeon: Korean Seafood Pancakes

Votes: 1

Time: 1 hour 10 min.
Complexity: easily
Servings: 4

Nutritional value per serving:

Calories 624, total fat 36 G., saturated fats 4 G., proteins 31 G., carbohydrates 44 G., fiber 3 G., cholesterol 190 mg, sodium 1275 mg, sugar 3 G.

Haemul pajeon – classic Korean pancakes with green onions and seafood – are the perfect appetizer with rice wine or beer. Adding potato starch to the dough creates a soft center and crispy edges. For the filling, use boiled shrimp, squid rings, mussels, green onions, and chives. The result is very juicy and delicious. Serve with a savory dipping sauce for dipping and enjoying.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

Dip sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp gochukaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes)
1 tbsp. l. rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
0.5 tsp chopped ginger
2 green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced

Pancakes

450 g mussels or clams (or a mixture of both), washed with a brush
0.5 cups flour
0.5 cup rice flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tbsp. l. sesame oil
1 large egg
1 cup of ice water
110 g peeled raw shrimp, cut into 0.5 cm pieces.
110 g raw squid carcasses, cut into rings 0.5 cm wide.
6 green onions, cut into 2.5cm pieces.
1 red chili pepper or Fresno pepper, thinly sliced (optional)
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 bunch chives, cut into 2.5cm pieces (about 1/4 cup)
0.5 cups of rapeseed oil

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

We recommend

Recipes with similar ingredients: mussels, mollusks, shrimps, squid, rice vinegar, chili pepper, starch, sesame

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Dip sauce:

Combine soy sauce, gochukara, rice vinegar, sesame seeds, ginger, green onions, and garlic in a small bowl and set aside.
Pancakes:

In a medium saucepan, bring 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water to a boil over high heat. Add the mussels or other shellfish, cover tightly, and cook until the shells open and the meat is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain and let the shellfish cool slightly. Remove the meat from the shells and set aside. Discard the shells.

Place the wheat and rice flours, potato starch, sesame oil, and egg in a large bowl. Add ice water and stir until the batter is as runny as heavy cream. Add the shrimp, squid, chives, chili, shallots, garlic, green onions, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and mussel or clam meat and stir well.
In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup of batter to the skillet and spread it evenly into a single layer, using a spatula if necessary. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the edges of the pancake are crisp and small bubbles form on top, 3-4 minutes.
Flip the pancake and cook on the other side until golden brown and crispy, 3-4 minutes. Flip the pancake twice more, once on each side, and cook for 30 seconds until crispy. Repeat with the remaining pancake batter and canola oil.
Transfer the pancakes to a serving platter and cut into wedges. Serve with dipping sauce.

Note

Potato starch works best for this recipe, but corn starch can be used in a pinch. It's recommended to fry small pancakes: they're easier to work with and turn out crispier.