Crispy Haemul Pajeon with Soy-Vinegar Dipping Sauce

⏱ 35 min · Serves 4

A golden, lacy Korean seafood and spring onion pancake — shatteringly crisp at the edges, soft and custardy in the middle, packed with prawns, squid and sweet scallions. Best eaten straight from the pan with a sharp soy-vinegar dip and something cold to drink.

Per serving: 420 kcal · 24.0g protein · 33.0g carbs · 21.0g fat

Ingredients

• 120g plain flour
• 40g cornflour
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 tsp caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 220ml ice-cold water (plus a splash more if needed)
• 2 large bunches spring onions (about 16), trimmed and halved lengthways if thick
• 150g raw prawns, peeled and roughly chopped
• 150g cleaned squid tubes, cut into 1cm rings or strips
• 60g mussel or clam meat (optional), chopped
• 1 mild red chilli, thinly sliced
• 1 green chilli, thinly sliced
• 6 tbsp neutral oil (sunflower or rapeseed), for frying
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes)
• 1 tsp finely chopped spring onion, for the sauce

Method

1. Whisk the flour, cornflour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Add the egg and ice-cold water and whisk just until smooth — the batter should be thin, like single cream. Chill while you prep everything else.
2. Pat the prawns, squid and mussels very dry on kitchen paper, then chop into small pieces so they cook quickly and evenly.
3. Make the dip: stir together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame seeds, gochugaru and chopped spring onion. Set aside.
4. Heat 3 tbsp of the neutral oil with 1/2 tsp sesame oil in a 24–26cm non-stick or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat until shimmering.
5. Lay half the spring onions flat in the pan in a tight single layer. Ladle over half the batter to just cover them, then scatter over half the seafood and half the sliced chillies, pressing gently so everything sits in the batter.
6. Fry for 4–5 minutes, without moving, until the underside is deep golden and crisp. Slide onto a plate, invert back into the pan, and cook the second side for 3–4 minutes, pressing lightly with a spatula.
7. Slide onto a rack (not a plate — it keeps the base crisp) and repeat with the remaining oil, spring onions, batter, seafood and chilli.
8. Cut into squares or wedges with scissors and serve immediately with the dipping sauce.