Haemul-pajeon (해물파전, Seafood Scallion Pancake)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •10-inch heavy nonstick, carbon-steel, or cast-iron skillet
• •Two wide spatulas, or one spatula and a flat lid for flipping
• •Clean kitchen towel or paper towels for drying seafood
• •Kitchen scissors for serving
• •Wire rack for holding cooked pancakes

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the dip

   Stir together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, sesame seeds, chopped scallion, gochugaru, and sugar if using. Taste it once. It should be sharper than it is salty, because the pancake is fried and needs that clean edge. Set it aside while you cook.

2. 2

   Dry the seafood

   Spread the squid, shrimp, and clams on a clean towel and blot them dry. Toss them with the rice wine or soju, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the black pepper, rest 5 minutes, then blot again. Wet seafood is the quickest way to ruin haemul-pajeon; it loosens the batter, weighs down the center, and makes the bottom pale before the pan can crisp it.

   Frozen seafood mix is a safe shortcut if it is good quality. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, drain it well, and press it dry. The shortcut is buying the seafood cut, not skipping the drying.
3. 3

   Cut the scallions

   Trim the scallions to fit your skillet, about 8 to 9 inches long for a 10-inch pan. Split any thick white ends lengthwise so they cook at the same pace as the greens. Keep the scallions long. A pajeon is built around them; chop them small and you have made a different pancake.

4. 4

   Make cold batter

   Whisk the flour, rice flour or potato starch, the extra 2 tablespoons starch, baking powder, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Pour in the ice-cold water and stir 15 to 20 strokes, just until no dry pockets remain. Small lumps are fine. The batter should coat a spoon and run off in a ribbon; if it mounds heavily, add 1 tablespoon cold water. If it looks thin as milk, add 1 tablespoon flour. Do not beat it smooth, because overworked flour fries tough.

   Using Korean pancake mix, buchimgaru? Replace the flour, rice flour, starch, baking powder, and salt with 1 1/3 cups buchimgaru, then add the same ice-cold water. Taste the cooked first edge before salting anything else, because mixes vary.
5. 5

   Build in pan

   Heat a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add 3 tablespoons oil. When a drop of batter sizzles at once, coat half the scallions lightly in batter and lay them in the pan in one flat raft, whites and greens alternating. Scatter half the seafood and half the chili slices over the scallions, then drizzle 3 to 4 tablespoons batter over the top to bind it. The batter is glue, not a blanket. You should still see scallion and seafood clearly.

6. 6

   Fry first side

   Cook 4 to 5 minutes, pressing the center gently once or twice so it meets the pan. The edges should brown and the underside should turn deep golden before you move it. Rotate the skillet if one side browns faster. If the pan looks dry, spoon 1 tablespoon oil around the edge; a dry pajeon turns leathery instead of crisp.

7. 7

   Flip and egg

   Slide two wide spatulas under the pancake and flip it in one confident motion. Cook the second side 2 to 3 minutes, until the shrimp is opaque and the squid and clams no longer look raw. Crack one egg over the top, break the yolk with chopsticks, and spread it thinly over the surface. Let it cling for 20 to 30 seconds, then flip the pancake egg-side down and cook 60 to 90 seconds to set. Turn it back egg-side up onto a board or platter. The egg should sit in golden patches, not hide the seafood.

   If flipping makes you nervous, slide the pancake onto a flat lid or plate, invert the skillet over it, then turn both together. Pride is not an ingredient.
8. 8

   Repeat and serve

   Wipe out only burnt bits, add fresh oil, and cook the second pancake the same way. Cut the pajeon with kitchen scissors into rough squares and serve immediately with the dipping sauce. For a potluck or game-day table, hold the pieces uncovered on a rack in a 200°F or 95°C oven for up to 20 minutes. Cover them and they soften. Serve first, explain later.

Chef Tips

• •Buy seafood that smells clean and faintly briny, never strong. Squid, shrimp, and clams give three textures: springy, sweet, and mineral. Keep the pieces small enough to cook inside the pancake before the edges burn.
• •Use thin Korean scallions if you can. If your market only has thick scallions, split the whites lengthwise and use fewer. The scallion should soften and sweeten in the pan, not stay raw and sharp in the center.
• •The safe shortcuts are frozen seafood mix, Korean pancake mix, and trimming the scallions a few hours ahead. The unsafe shortcuts are wet seafood, warm batter, too little oil, and flipping before the underside has set.
• •For a crisper edge, use a heavy skillet and enough oil to hear the batter sizzle the moment it touches the pan. Nonstick is easier for beginners; cast iron gives better browning if it is well seasoned.
• •Leftovers are still worth keeping. Reheat them in a dry skillet with a teaspoon of oil, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Do not microwave unless you have made peace with a soft pancake.

Advance Preparation

• •The dipping sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Add the chopped scallion and sesame seeds on the day you serve so they stay fresh.
• •The seafood can be cut, seasoned, blotted dry, and refrigerated up to 4 hours ahead. Keep it cold and drain off any liquid before it touches the batter.
• •The scallions can be trimmed and split up to 1 day ahead, wrapped in a barely damp towel and refrigerated. Mix the batter only right before frying, because cold, lightly mixed batter gives the cleanest crisp edge.
• •Cooked pajeon can be held uncovered on a rack in a 200°F or 95°C oven for up to 20 minutes. For longer holding, fry them slightly pale, then re-crisp in a skillet just before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 260g)