Haemuljeon

Haemuljeon (Korean Seafood Scallion Pancake)

A classic Korean savory pancake studded with fresh seafood and scallions, featuring a crisp lacy edge from a simple flour-and-egg batter. It's traditionally served as a banchan or anju with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce.

Prep

15 min

Cook

15 min

Total

30 min

Serves

4 (makes 2 pancakes)

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •200 g (7 oz) all-purpose flour (maeu garu), Korean wheat flour preferred
• •15 g (1 tbsp) glutinous rice flour (chapssal garu), gives extra crispness; omit if unavailable
• •2 g (½ tsp) salt
• •1 g (¼ tsp) freshly ground black pepper
• •200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) cold water, ice-cold water keeps the batter crisp
• •2 whole (2 large) eggs
• •60 g (2 oz) small squid, cleaned, body sliced into rings, tentacles halved
• •80 g (2¾ oz) raw shrimp, peeled, shell-off, deveined, chopped if large
• •60 g (2 oz) fresh mussels or clams, shucked, or whole small clams (beard removed)
• •100 g (3½ oz) Korean chives (buchu), cut into 5 cm pieces; substitute with scallion greens if unavailable
• •1 whole (1 small) small onion or 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• •20 g (1½ tbsp) neutral oil, plus more if needed, vegetable, canola, or grape-seed
• •1 g (¼ tsp) toasted sesame oil, for brushing the pan
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) soy sauce, for dip
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) rice vinegar, for dip
• •5 g (1 tsp) gochugaru, Korean chili flakes, for dip
• •1 g (¼ tsp) toasted sesame seeds, for dip
• •3 g (1 small clove) garlic, grated, for dip
• •3 g (1 small sprig) scallion, finely chopped, for dip

Steps

1. 1 Make the dipping sauce: whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, gochugaru, sesame seeds, grated garlic, and chopped scallion in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. 2 In a large bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, glutinous rice flour, salt, and pepper. Pour in the cold water and whisk until you have a thin, slightly lacy batter (it should be thinner than pancake batter, about single-cream consistency).
3. 3 Lightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl and set aside.
4. 4 Pat the seafood very dry with paper towels. Cut squid into rings, shrimp into bite-size pieces, and leave small clams/mussels whole if using. Check that all shellfish is fresh and shells are tightly closed; discard any that stay open when tapped.
5. 5 Fold the chives (or scallion greens), sliced onion, and prepared seafood into the batter. The mixture should be quite chunky - do not add more flour.
6. 6 Heat a 26 cm (10-inch) non-stick or well-seasoned skillet over medium heat. Add about 10 ml (2 tsp) neutral oil and a tiny brush of sesame oil, swirling to coat evenly.
7. 7 Pour half the batter into the pan (roughly 250 ml / 1 cup) and spread it into a round about 22 cm (9 inches) wide. Drizzle half the beaten eggs over the top, tilting to let the egg seep into the gaps.
8. 8 Cook for 3–4 minutes, until the underside is deep golden brown and crisp (lift an edge with a spatula to check). Scatter a few extra chives on top if desired.
9. 9 Flip carefully in one confident motion (or use two spatulas), add another 5 ml (1 tsp) oil around the edge, and cook the second side for 2–3 minutes, until the seafood is just cooked through: shrimp should be opaque pink (internal 63 °C / 145 °F) and squid tender, not rubbery.
10. 10 Slide onto a cutting board, cut into wedges, and serve immediately with the dipping sauce. Repeat with the remaining batter.
11. 11 Safety note: eat the pancake straight from the pan - leftover batter containing raw seafood and egg should not be stored. Cooked pancakes keep up to 1 day refrigerated and reheat in a dry skillet to restore crispness.