Korean Scallion Pancakes with Seafood (Pajeon)

These Korean scallion pancakes with seafood (pajeon) originated from Busan. The mixture of two different types of flour makes these pancakes very crispy. Serve with tangy soy dipping sauce. Delicious!

The month of July in Korea is known for the rainy season. When it rains, these Korean seafood scallion pancakes (haemul pajeon, 파전), also known as green onion pancakes, are the most sought-out food in Korea.

There’s something about the rain and pan-fried food that creates magic. The monsoon climate dwells in the entire Korean peninsula in the summer. It is wet, humid, and somewhat unpleasant.

I remember my mother often heated our floor (we had one of those traditional Korean floors that heats up) in the month of July just to cut off the humidity.

Koreans enjoy greasy savory pancakes when the weather is rainy. It must be something in our body that craves greasy-fatty food when the weather turns bad.

One of the most popular savory pancakes has to be these Korean scallion pancakes with dipping sauce. They are often made with a variety of seafood.

Today I will share the most popular version. It comes from the Donglae (동래) area in Busan (부산), where the pancake is popular among the locals and tourists.

These pancakes are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. I use a mixture of store-bought pan-frying mix with rice flour. The combination makes the pancake batter very crisp and delicious. With a salty and tangy dipping sauce, you will taste the best Korean savory pancakes.

Pair with salty and tangy soy chili dipping sauce. These will give you a great comfort when the weather drags you down. Your daily stress will be washed away as you savor these pancakes.

Soy dipping sauce

Make your dipping sauce first. Just mix all the ingredients named in the recipe below; set aside.

Pancake batter

To make the pancake batter, you will need these two types of flour: Korean savory pancake mix and the rice flour.

Combine the pancake mix and rice flour and add ice water. Make sure to use ice water to ensure a crisp texture. The ratio is hard to nail down but as long as it has a consistency of western pancake batter, you are good to go.

Tips: Do not over mix the pancake batter. Doing so will allow the gluten in the flour to develop, and it makes your pancake tougher. Mix until just combined.

How to make Korean scallion pancakes

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over med-low heat, lay your scallions (They are cut to fit in the skillet). Fill the sides with shorter pieces.

Drizzle the pancake batter just to barely cover. Shake a little so the batter can sip thorough the cracks to stabilize the pancakes.

Seafood is optional. If you want to make this pancakes without seafood, you can skip them. But I like mine with seafood, which is the traditional way of enjoying the pajeon.

If using seafood, scatter the seafood mixture. Fresh seafood would be the best but I also use frozen seafood mixtures that have been thawed. They worked great!

Drizzle a slightly beaten egg over the top, and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. When the edges of the pancake seem slightly golden and dry, you will flip this pancake!

Good luck on the flipping!

Let this cook another 3-4 minutes. Drizzle a little more oil around the edges of pancake to create a crisp texture on the crust. The more grease, the crispier the texture!

Did I ever say this is the ultimate healthy food? Nope!

Cut the pancake with a pizza cutter to your desired size and serve when it is hot. Korean pancakes have to be eaten when they are sizzling hot. Enjoy!

More Korean pancakes

• Curry Kimchi Pancakes
• Savory Mung Bean Pancakes (Bindaetteok)
• Spinach Pancakes