Pajeon (Seafood Pancake)

This delicious dish is a version of pajeon, which is a pancake-like Korean dish made predominantly with green onions, egg batter, wheat flour and rice flour. Haemul pajeon incorporates seafood to the common pancake. Seafood combinations include, but are not limited to, oysters, shrimp, squid, and clams. It’s usually eaten as a main dish and is known for its soft and chewy texture as well as its mixture of seafood flavors. Serves 2 – easy to double.

INGREDIENTS​:

• 5 spring onions, preferably a combination of small and large
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 150g (1 cup) plain flour (or use self-raising flour and omit the baking powder)
• 175ml (6 floz) cold water
• 100g (3.5 oz) seafood cut into small chunks
• 4-5 tbsp vegetable oil

For the Dipping Sauce:

• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 3 tbsp regular soy sauce (ganjang)
• ½ tsp sesame oil
• 1tsp sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut the large spring onions into 15cm lengths, discarding the whites and shredding the greens. Cut the smaller spring onions into roughly 10-15 cm strips.
2. Put the long-shredded spring onions into a bowl of cold water with a teaspoon of baking powder. Add the flour and mix to a batter – it should be slightly thick pancake batter, similar to drop scones. Add the seafood and stir.
3. Heat 3 tbsp oil over a high heat. Once the pan is hot, lay the cut smaller spring onions in the pan, making an even layer and all facing the same direction to make a rectangle.
4. Pour a ladleful of the batter over the spring onions, fry for 2-3 minutes until the edges of the pancake are crispy and tiny air pockets have formed. Dribble a little oil on top of each pancake and flip.
5. Meanwhile, mix together all the dipping sauce ingredients.
6. Flatten the pancake using a spatula and continue to cook for a further 3 minutes. Try and get the pancake as thin as you can – Koreans believe that there’s a skill in being able to make a thin pancake as it’s harder to flip. It also makes for a crispier finish.
7. Once the pancake is crispy and golden on both sides, serve with the soy vinegar dipping sauce.