Maesaengi-gul-jeon (Seaweed and Oyster Jeon)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large bowl for rinsing maesaengi
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Wide nonstick or well-seasoned skillet
• •Thin fish spatula or jeon turner
• •Wire rack or paper towels for draining

Instructions

1. 1

   Rinse the seaweed

   Put the maesaengi in a large bowl of cold water and loosen it with your fingers. Let any grit fall, then lift the seaweed out into a sieve instead of pouring the dirty water over it. Repeat once more if the bowl shows sand. Drain 10 minutes, then press gently with your hand until it is damp but no longer dripping. This is the step that keeps the batter from turning loose in the pan.

2. 2

   Clean the oysters

   Swish the oysters in a bowl with 2 cups cold water and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, then lift them out and drain on paper towels or a clean cloth. Do not rub them hard. You want grit gone, not the oysters bruised. If they are very large, cut each one in half so the jeon cooks before the batter darkens.

   Use oysters that smell clean and cold, never sour or sharp. Keep them refrigerated until the moment they go into the batter.
3. 3

   Make the batter

   Whisk the flour, potato starch, egg, cold water, soup soy sauce, and fine sea salt until just smooth. The starch gives the edge a light crispness, and the cold water slows gluten so the jeon stays tender. The batter should be thinner than American pancake batter, thick enough to coat a spoon but loose enough to fall off it.

4. 4

   Fold in filling

   Add the drained maesaengi, oysters, sliced scallion, and red chili if using. Fold gently with chopsticks or a spoon until the seaweed is evenly loosened through the batter. Do not beat it. Maesaengi clumps if you bully it, and then one pancake gets all the seaweed while the next gets only flour.

5. 5

   Heat the pan

   Set a wide nonstick or well-seasoned skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Wait until the oil thins and moves easily across the pan. Jeon needs steady heat, not violence. Too hot, and the outside browns before the oyster cooks; too cool, and the batter drinks oil.

6. 6

   Fry small jeon

   Spoon 2 tablespoons batter per jeon into the pan, keeping each one about 7cm wide with 1 oyster in each if you can manage it. Press stray seaweed back into the edge. Fry 2 to 3 minutes, until the underside is set and lightly browned at the rim, then turn once and fry 2 minutes more. Work in batches, adding a little oil each time.

7. 7

   Drain and serve

   Move the finished jeon to a rack or paper towel for 1 minute, then serve while the edges are still crisp. Stir together the soy sauce, vinegar, water, sesame seeds, and scallion rings for dipping. Taste one plain first. It should be green, briny, and tender, with the oyster still tasting like oyster.

Chef Tips

• •Fresh maesaengi is best from late autumn through winter. If your market only has frozen maesaengi, thaw it in the refrigerator, rinse once, and squeeze more firmly, because frozen seaweed releases extra water.
• •Do not add garlic to the batter. I know the hand reaches for it. Here it covers the clean sea taste, and the oyster already brings enough depth.
• •If oysters are poor at your market, cook maesaengi-jeon without them or make maesaengi-guk (seaweed soup) instead. My teacher would have sent bad oysters back without a word.
• •The safe shortcut is using a nonstick skillet and small pancakes. The unsafe shortcut is making one large jeon. It tears, turns wet in the middle, and makes the oyster overcook before the center sets.

Advance Preparation

• •The maesaengi can be rinsed and drained up to 4 hours ahead, then covered and refrigerated. Press out any collected water before mixing the batter.
• •The dipping sauce can be mixed 1 day ahead, but add scallion rings just before serving so they stay clean-tasting.
• •Do not mix the full batter ahead. Once the oysters and seaweed sit in it, they release water and the jeon fries heavy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 160g)