A crispy, savory Korean pancake with seafood and green onions! Ready in 20-minutes with simple ingredients! A tasty appetizer, side dish or snack that will keep you salivating for more. It's family-friendly and restaurant quality.
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Korean seafood pancake (or 'Haemul Pajeon') is a popular savory pancake in South Korea. It's made of a simple batter with shrimp, squid, and green onions.
It's crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside - making it my favorite starter to order at the Korean restaurant.
The tender seafood pairs well with the crispy exterior. In Korean cuisine, it's common to enjoy savory pancakes with a cold beer, especially on a rainy day.
If you're not a fan of seafood pancake, check out my easy 15-minute Korean scallion pancake recipe!
Why you'll love this recipe:
- Easy to make!
- Ready in 20-minutes.
- Great for the family.
- Better-than-takeout!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Neutral Oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil. Avoid olive oil or any low-smoke point oil.
Pancake Batter
- Green Onions
- Jumbo Shrimp: or substitute with large shrimp. Get the easy-peel, deveined kind.
- Raw Squid Rings (aka Calamari Rings): or substitute with chopped lobster, octopus, mussels, clams, or scallops.
- All-Purpose Flour: or substitute with a gluten-free baking flour for a gluten-free variation.
- Potato Starch: or substitute with cornstarch.
- Baking Powder: this makes the pancake crispy.
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Chicken Bouillon Powder: for extra flavor. Or substitute with a gluten-free chicken bouillon for a gluten-free version.
- Salt
- Very Cold Water: Avoid using warm or hot water.
Dipping Sauce
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy saucem light soy sauce, tamari sauce, or coconut aminos.
- Rice Vinegar: or substitute with white vinegar.
- Sesame Oil: or substitute with sesame seeds.
- Green Onions
Note: Asian ingredients are typically available at most Asian grocery stores or check online, like on Amazon.
Expert Tips
- Pat dry the green onions and seafood to remove any excess moisture.
- Use a large non-stick pan, so the pancake doesn't stick.
- Swirl the oil in the pan before adding in the batter to create a golden crust.
- Occasionally swirl and press down on the pancake to crisp it up.
- Flip with a large spatula and when the bottom is solid or it'll break apart.
- Slightly char the onions for extra flavor!
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make Korean seafood pancake:
- Wash green onions and pat dry with paper towels. Trim off the roots, split them down the middle and chop into 2-inch-long pieces. Set aside.
- Then pat dry the squid rings and shrimp with paper towel to remove excess moisture and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk all-purpose flour, potato starch, baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, chicken bouillon powder and salt until combined.
- Then add green onions, shrimp, squid rings and cold water and mix just until combined - do not over mix.
- Heat 2.5 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large non-stick pan (about 12-inches wide) on medium-high heat. Swirl the hot oil in the pan and add the batter. Evenly spread it, scraping out any remaining batter to fill in any holes.
- Reduce to medium-heat and fry until the bottom is crispy, golden and slightly charred, about 5-7 minutes. Occasionally swirl it in the oil. Flip it over and pour the remaining oil around it. Swirl and press down on the pancake. Fry until until crispy and golden brown, another 4-5 minutes. Slice on a cutting board and enjoy with dipping sauce.
Storage & Reheating
- Korean seafood pancake lasts up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, air fry at 350 F or reheat on the stovetop until hot.
- Freezer-friendly? Korean seafood pancake can be frozen up to 3 months in a freezer-safe bag, once cooled. To enjoy, reheat from frozen on the stovetop or in the air fryer at 350 F until hot throughout.
Pairing Suggestions
Korean seafood pancake serves well with Korean side dishes, such as:
FAQ
Korean seafood pancake is best enjoyed fresh or same day for that crispy texture, but you can make it up to 4 days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge once cooled. To enjoy, reheat on the stovetop or air fryer at 350 F until hot throughout.
The seafood can be substituted with cooked chicken, or omitted completely.
I don't recommend air frying Korean seafood pancake as the runny batter will slip through the air fryer basket.
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Korean Seafood Pancake (Haemul Pajeon)
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Pancake Batter:
- 2 cups green onions
- 8 pieces jumbo shrimp peeled & deveined
- ⅓ cup squid rings aka calamari rings
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp potato starch or cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup water very cold
Dipping sauce:
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar or white vinegar
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon green onion finely chopped
Instructions
- Wash green onions and pat dry with paper towels. Trim off the roots, split them down the middle and chop into 2-inch-long pieces. Set aside.
- Then pat dry the squid rings and shrimp with paper towel to remove excess moisture and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk all-purpose flour, potato starch, baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, chicken bouillon powder and salt until combined.
- Then add green onions, shrimp, squid rings and cold water and mix just until combined - do not over mix.
- Heat 2.5 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large non-stick pan (about 12-inches wide) on medium-high heat. Swirl the hot oil in the pan and add the batter. Evenly spread it, scraping out any remaining batter to fill in any holes.
- Reduce to medium-heat and fry until the bottom is crispy, golden and slightly charred, about 5-7 minutes. Occasionally swirl it in the oil.
- Flip it over with a large spatula and pour the remaining oil around it. Swirl and press down on the pancake. Fry until until crispy and golden brown, another 4-5 minutes.
- Transfer to a cutting board and slice into smaller pieces.
- In a small bowl, combine the dipping sauce ingredients as listed above and enjoy with the pancake.
Lisa
I still haven’t mastered the flip, but this pancake is still delicious!
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe! So glad you enjoyed it and with practice I know you'll nail that flip!
Bob
Delicious
Christie Lai
Excellent! Thanks for making it!
Millie
Omg this was so good! I’ve always wanted to make this at home but could never find the right recipe and this is it.
Christie Lai
So glad you liked it! Thank you so much for making it.
Trish
I tried this recipe, followed it to the T and came out perfectly!!😍 thanks for the tips on keeping the seafood and scallions dry before folding in the batter! The family loved it and it was gone in a snap!😅🥰
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe! I'm so happy to hear that my tips were helpful and very glad to hear the family loved it!
Stella Au
I devoured this pancake so fast. My eyes were rolling back and I was levitating- I have tried many other Korean pancake recipes and this one definitely takes the cake. I read the reviews afterwards and apparently there's supposed to be an egg added in this recipe.....needless to say it was scrumdiddlylicious without one
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making and sharing this very kind review, Stella! You turned my day upside right! The original recipe contained an egg but after re-developing this recipe, I decided to omit it as it makes the pancake less crispy. I'm so happy you enjoyed it 🙂
JOSE G DUMLAO JR
Yes, I did
Kathy Tom
Hello may I ask when we should add the eggs? Thank you kindly.
Christie Lai
Hi Kathy, thanks so much for flagging this! I've corrected the recipe card to reflect when to add it in 🙂 I hope you enjoy my recipe!
Kristin
It was soooooo yummy!!!! Definitely will be a common dish in our house now. Thank you!
christieathome
This is music to my ears! Thank you so much for your kind comment 🙂 Have a lovely day Kristin!
Cherie
I made for lunch. Loved it. the crispness was great. When I made batter it was thin with seafood but thickened during cooking process. No probs I will make again until I per-fect it. 🙂
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for sharing that note with me! It may help to add a tiny bit more cold water to loosen it if it's too thick. I also find that the batter will thicken if it's over mixed due to the activation of gluten, so if possible, avoid over mixing. Hope this helps!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
So much flavor in so little time... YUM! I am loving these savory pancakes, and those amazing tiger shrimp you added!!
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
I've never had haemul pajeon, but I would love to try it! The crispy edges and seafood on top look delicious!
Tara
Omg 😆 I’m in heaven ! I’ve paid $10 in a restaurant to eat these and this version was fast , easy , quite cheap to make and tasty 😋 yum .
Are we supposed to add an egg ?
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my recipe and for the kind review, Tara! I'm so glad you enjoyed it 🙂 No egg is needed as I find eggs make the pancake less crispy.