Korean Starter

Haemul Pajeon

Haemul Pajeon is a crisp-edged Korean spring-onion pancake filled with seafood and served with a sharp soy-vinegar dipping sauce. This version uses measured ingredients, clear visual cues and the traditional flavour balance that makes the dish distinctive.

Jump to recipe More Korean food
20 minsPrep time
18 minsCook time
Serves 4Servings
MediumDifficulty
Haemul Pajeon
About this dish

Haemul Pajeon: the story on the plate

Haemul Pajeon is a Korean starter with a clear sense of place. Pajeon belongs to Korea’s broad family of jeon, pan-fried battered dishes eaten at home, in markets and with drinks. Seafood versions are especially associated with coastal cooking and are famously paired with makgeolli on rainy days. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Historical background

Pajeon belongs to Korea’s broad family of jeon, pan-fried battered dishes eaten at home, in markets and with drinks. Seafood versions are especially associated with coastal cooking and are famously paired with makgeolli on rainy days.

Why it is famous

Its appeal is communal: one large pancake is cut at the table and shared, making it as much drinking food and social food as a formal first course.

Cultural significance

Its appeal is communal: one large pancake is cut at the table and shared, making it as much drinking food and social food as a formal first course.

Nutrition

Estimated nutrition per serving

These figures are estimates per serving. Actual nutrition can vary with the brands and exact amounts you use, how much oil, dressing or sauce is absorbed, any substitutions or added extras, and the portion size served.

A practical guide for comparing recipes and planning meals.

430Calories
21gProtein
48gCarbs
18gFat
Ingredients

What you need

  • 160 plain flour
  • 40 rice flour
  • 240 cold water
  • 1 egg
  • 180 Spring onions, trimmed into 12 cm lengths
  • 120 raw prawns, peeled and chopped
  • 100 squid, cleaned and thinly sliced
  • 45 neutral cooking oil
  • 30 soy sauce, for dipping
  • 20 rice vinegar, for dipping
  • 1 gochugaru, for dipping
  • 1 toasted sesame seeds, for dipping
Method

Step-by-step method

Follow the recipe in order, tasting and adjusting seasoning where needed.

  1. Whisk the plain flour and rice flour with the cold water until only small lumps remain; do not beat it smooth because overworking develops gluten and makes the pancake bready. Beat in the egg just before cooking.
  2. Lay the spring onions in a single loose layer in a well-heated 24–26 cm frying pan with 1 tablespoon of oil. Cook for about 1 minute so they begin to soften and smell sweet.
  3. Scatter the prawns and squid evenly over the onions, then pour over just enough batter to bind everything together. Tilt the pan so the batter reaches the edges without drowning the filling.
  4. Cook over medium-high heat for 4–5 minutes, loosening the edges and adding a little more oil around the rim. The underside should be a deep mottled gold and feel firm enough to turn.
  5. Flip decisively using a wide spatula or an upturned plate. Add another teaspoon of oil and cook the second side for 3–4 minutes, pressing lightly so the seafood makes good contact with the pan.
  6. Mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, gochugaru and sesame seeds. Rest the pancake for 1 minute, cut into squares and serve immediately with the dipping sauce.
Cook smarter

Tips, storage and serving advice

Shopping tips

Buy Korean gochujang, gochugaru and doenjang from a Korean grocer where possible. Use short-grain rice rather than long-grain rice, and choose well-fermented kimchi for cooked dishes. Check labels on compound ingredients such as sauces, spice blends, stocks, kimchi, fermented pastes and prepared breads when cooking for allergies.

Ingredient quality

For Haemul Pajeon, prioritise fresh or properly stored versions of plain flour, rice flour, cold water, egg; speciality seasonings should smell vivid rather than stale.

Common mistakes

Using warm water, making a thick batter, overcrowding the seafood or flipping before the base is properly browned will leave the pancake heavy and prone to tearing.

Chef’s tips

Use very cold water and a generous film of oil. A slightly ragged, deeply browned edge is desirable; pale pajeon usually means the pan was not hot enough.

How to know it is cooked

The seafood is opaque and just cooked, the spring onions have softened, and both surfaces are crisp enough that a lifted wedge holds its shape.

Plating advice

Cut into bite-sized squares and overlap them on a wide plate so the browned surface remains visible.

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