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A close-up of golden-brown Korean Pancakes (Pajeon) piled on a wooden board, featuring visible green scallions and a small dipping sauce bowl.

Korean Seafood and Green Onion Pancakes (Pajeon)

Make delicious Korean seafood and green onion pancakes (Pajeon) from scratch. This recipe uses simple ingredients and results in a crispy, flavorful dish perfect for any occasion.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Resting Time 10 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 2 pancakes
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Korean
Calories: 783
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Pancake Batter
  • 1 cup plain flour
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 1/8 tsp fine salt
  • 1 1/8 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 1/8 tsp onion powder
  • 1 cup water icy cold or quality sparkling water
For the Topping
  • 12 green onion tops cleaned and cut lengthways to fit your skillet
  • 100 g calamari cleaned and cut into little finger sized pieces
  • 100 g prawns cleaned and cut into smaller pieces
  • A few sprinkles ground black pepper to marinate seafood
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 1 red chili optional, thinly diagonally sliced
For Cooking
  • 6 Tbsp cooking oil approx. 3 Tbsp per pancake, I used rice bran oil

Equipment

  • Medium-sized bowl
  • Measuring jug
  • frying pan
  • Spatula
  • Plate
  • Cutting board

Method
 

  1. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Add the icy cold water and whisk well until smooth. Pour the batter into a measuring jug for easy pouring.
  2. Add about 3 tablespoons of cooking oil to a frying pan over medium heat. Spread the oil evenly. Increase the heat to high and preheat the pan until hot, about 1 minute. Be careful as the oil heats up.
  3. Test the oil by dropping a small amount of batter into the pan. If it sizzles, the oil is ready. Reduce the heat to medium-high. Pour just under half a cup of batter into the pan and spread it thinly and evenly.
  4. Arrange 6 green onion tops on top of the batter, parallel to each other. Pour a little more batter over and between the green onions to fill any gaps. Reduce the heat to medium.
  5. Sparingly place calamari, prawns, and red chilies (if using) over the green onions.
  6. Drizzle half of the beaten egg over the pancake. While it cooks, gently move the pancake in a circular motion to prevent sticking.
  7. Flip the pancake when the top is partially cooked, about 4 minutes. If needed, add more oil around the edges to help release it. Press the pancake with a spatula a couple of times to make it crispy. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the pancake to a plate or cutting board.
  8. Repeat steps 2 to 7 with the remaining ingredients to make the second pancake.
  9. Slice the pancake into bite-sized pieces and serve with Korean pancake sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 783kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 29gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 324mgSodium: 1773mgPotassium: 563mgFiber: 4gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1067IUVitamin C: 51mgCalcium: 175mgIron: 6mg

Notes

This recipe makes 2 pancakes. Two pancakes are enough for 4 servings as an appetizer. Note that 1 cup equals 250 ml and 1 Tbsp equals 15 ml. If you prefer to use a Korean pancake mix, you can omit the flour, cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.

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