Korean Chive Seafood Pancake
Quick answer
Buchu-haemul-jeon is a Korean chive and seafood pancake that combines garlic chives cut to five-centimeter lengths with sliced squid and peeled shrimp in a batter of Kore...
What makes this special
- Garlic chives, squid, and shrimp are pan-fried in a thin batter for this Korean Chive Seafood Pancake.
- Seafood moisture requires reducing water in batter to prevent spreading
- Chewy squid and bouncy shrimp layer with sharp garlic chive aroma
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Cut 160g garlic chives into even 5cm lengths.
- 2 Put 150g pancake mix and 0.5 teaspoon salt in a bowl.
- 3 Mix only until the dry lumps disappear, then add the chives, squid, and shrimp.
Buchu-haemul-jeon is a Korean chive and seafood pancake that combines garlic chives cut to five-centimeter lengths with sliced squid and peeled shrimp in a batter of Korean pancake mix, water, and salt. The garlic chives release a sharp, aromatic fragrance as they cook, which infuses the pancake from edge to edge. Squid provides a dense chew while shrimp adds a snappier, springier bite, so each piece of the finished pancake has a slightly different texture depending on what's in it. Because both seafood and chives release moisture during cooking, the batter needs to start thicker than for a plain vegetable jeon - otherwise the center will stay wet and fail to brown properly. Spreading it thin across the pan and maintaining steady medium heat crisps the edges into a lacy, oil-fried border while keeping the seafood-laden interior moist. Flipping cleanly in one motion preserves the structure. A dipping sauce of brewed soy sauce, vinegar, and gochugaru brings out the natural sweetness of the shellfish.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Heat
Cut 160g garlic chives into even 5cm lengths.
Press 120g squid and 120g peeled shrimp dry with paper towels, then trim them into bite-size pieces so they cook quickly and do not loosen the batter.
- 2Season
Put 150g pancake mix and 0.5 teaspoon salt in a bowl.
Pour in the 180ml water gradually while stirring, and hold back a little if the seafood still feels wet, keeping the batter thicker than a plain pancake batter.
- 3Prep
Mix only until the dry lumps disappear, then add the chives, squid, and shrimp.
Fold with a spatula by lifting from the bottom, coating the ingredients lightly without crushing the chives or overworking the batter.
- 4Control
Preheat a pan over medium heat and spread 2 tablespoons cooking oil across the surface.
Pour in the batter, flatten it to about 0.5cm thick, and even out the edges so the center and rim cook at the same pace.
- 5Heat
Cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes.
When bubbles appear around the edges and the underside turns golden and firm, slide the spatula well underneath and flip in one clean motion to keep the pancake intact.
- 6Finish
Cook the second side over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes more.
If no wet batter sticks when the surface is pressed, remove it from the pan and serve hot with the soy sauce, vinegar, and gochugaru dipping sauce.
After the steps
Pick a recipe that fits this dish.
Continue with shared ingredients, meal pairings, or a similar method.
Recipes That Go Well With This
More Grilled →Based on shared ingredients and meal pairing
Korean Chive Shrimp Jeon (Crispy Chive and Shrimp Pancake)
Buchu-saewu-jeon is a Korean garlic chive and shrimp pancake made by folding coarsely chopped shrimp, garlic chives, and julienned onion into an egg-enriched batter before pan-frying over medium heat. Leaving the shrimp in rough chunks rather than mincing them fine is what gives each bite a distinct, springy snap along with the natural sweetness of shellfish. Onion softens and caramelizes as it cooks, tempering the brine of the shrimp, while a pinch of black pepper adds quiet warmth behind the other flavors. Spreading the batter thin and cooking for three minutes before flipping ensures the shrimp-studded edges turn crisp and lacy while the chive-packed center stays moist and tender. Egg raises the batter's binding strength so the pancake holds together cleanly when turned. The finished jeon pairs especially well with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce, which draws out the sweetness of the seafood more clearly than a plain soy sauce would.
Korean Chive Clam Jeon (Garlic Chive and Clam Seafood Pancake)
Buchu-bajirak-jeon is a seafood pancake of garlic chives and clam meat, pan-fried in a batter made with a mix of all-purpose pancake flour and rice flour. The rice flour addition increases the chew and gives the finished jeon a slightly more resilient texture than plain flour batters. Clam meat releases a briny, oceanic liquid as it cooks that seeps into the batter and flavors it throughout, while the chives add a sharp, grassy counterpoint. Minced garlic and diagonally sliced cheongyang chili worked into the batter suppress any fishiness and build a layered fragrance. A generous amount of oil in the pan over medium heat produces edges that crisp and brown like the outside of a fritter. Waiting until the bottom is fully set before flipping prevents the pancake from tearing. Served with soy dipping sauce or a seasoned soy mixture, the clean salinity of the clams comes through clearly.
Korean Namhae-Style Clam Broth
Namhae-jogae-tang is a southern coastal Korean clam soup that relies on an abundance of clams and minimal interference to produce a broth of startling clarity and depth. The clams are purged in salted water, then cooked in water spiked with rice wine, which tempers any raw ocean smell. As the shells pop open, they release their natural liquor - briny, faintly sweet, and concentrated - which becomes the soup's defining flavor. Sliced green and red chilies add gentle heat and color without overwhelming the shellfish, while garlic and green onion contribute a quiet aromatic layer. Salt is added cautiously, since the clams themselves bring significant salinity. The result is a transparent, intensely flavored bowl that tastes like the sea distilled into its purest form, and it is traditionally enjoyed as both a drinking companion and a light meal.
Korean Beef Jeon (Egg-Coated Pan-Fried Thin Beef Slice)
This classic Korean dish consists of thinly sliced lean beef round that is lightly seasoned, coated in flour and egg, and pan-fried. The process begins by seasoning the beef slices with salt, black pepper, and minced garlic. Each slice is dusted with a thin layer of flour, shaking off any excess to prevent clumping and to ensure the egg batter adheres securely during cooking. The floured beef is dipped in beaten egg and cooked in a preheated pan with oil over medium heat. It is crucial to avoid high heat, which can scorch the egg coating and toughen the meat. Pan-frying each side briefly until the egg sets preserves the natural tenderness of the beef. The cooked slices feature a delicate golden coating and are typically served warm. Yukjeon is a staple for holiday feasts, ancestral rites, and housewarming gatherings.
Serve with this
Korean Stir-Fried Sweet Potato Stems
Goguma julgi - sweet potato stems - are the above-ground vines of the sweet potato plant, a byproduct that Korean cooks transform into a summer namul rather than discarding. The most labor-intensive step is peeling each stem by hand, pinching the outer skin with a fingernail and pulling it away to reveal the tender core beneath. After blanching for two minutes and rinsing in cold water, the stems are stir-fried in perilla oil with garlic and seasoned with soup soy sauce. Perilla powder stirred in at the end thickens the remaining liquid into a nutty glaze. In season during summer, the stems are harvested from sweet potato fields before the tubers themselves are dug up.
Korean Dakgalbi Fried Rice
Dakgalbi bokkeumbap is a fried rice made by stir-frying gochujang-marinated boneless chicken thigh with cabbage and onion over high heat, then adding day-old rice to the pan and frying until every grain absorbs the sweet-spicy marinade. The dish originated from the Chuncheon tradition of finishing a dakgalbi meal by stir-frying the leftover sauce and scraps with rice, effectively turning what remains in the pan into a second course. Day-old rice is essential: fresh rice holds too much moisture and clumps together, while refrigerated rice separates cleanly on the hot surface and makes sufficient contact with the pan to develop slightly charred bits at the bottom. These caramelized patches add a smoky crunch that contrasts with the sauced grains above and elevate the dish beyond a simple fried rice. Cabbage and perilla leaves added at the very end of cooking retain a faint crunch that cuts through the richness of the gochujang marinade. Plating the rice with a few perilla leaves laid on top and a scatter of sesame seeds over the surface finishes the dish without requiring anything further.
Chicken Mu (Korean Fried Chicken Radish Pickle)
The crunchy, sweet-sour radish pickle served with every order of Korean fried chicken - now easy to make at home in under 15 minutes. Cubed radish is submerged in a cooled brine of vinegar, sugar, salt, and whole black peppercorns. Using fully cooled brine rather than hot is critical for maintaining the radish's firm, snapping crunch. Ready to eat after one day of refrigeration, its bright acidity cleanses the palate between bites of crispy chicken. Stored in a glass jar, this pickle keeps for over a week.
Similar recipes
Korean Tofu Jeon (Golden Egg-Coated Pan-Fried Tofu)
Dubu-jeon is a Korean pan-fried tofu dish and a standard side dish in everyday home cooking as well as a fixture on ancestral rite tables. Firm tofu is sliced to about 1 cm thickness, seasoned with salt and pepper, dusted in a thin layer of flour to help the coating adhere, dipped in beaten egg, then fried on each side in a lightly oiled pan until the exterior turns golden and set. Pressing the tofu before cooking is the most important preparatory step: wrapping the slices in paper towels and placing a heavy object on top for at least fifteen minutes removes enough moisture to prevent the oil from splattering and allows the egg coating to bond tightly to the surface. Three to four uninterrupted minutes per side over medium heat are needed to develop an even golden crust without burning the egg; turning the pieces too often strips the batter away and leaves patches of bare tofu. The fried tofu is mild and nutty on its own, but a dipping sauce of soy sauce mixed with a small amount of vinegar and red pepper flakes adds salt, acidity, and heat that transform the simple base into something more complex. Eaten hot, the egg coating is thin and slightly crisp; as it cools the exterior softens while the interior remains tender.
Korean Julienned Potato Pancake
Gamja-chae-jeon is a Korean julienned potato pancake where the potatoes are cut into thin matchsticks rather than grated, producing a texture fundamentally different from the mashed-style gamja-jeon. The intact strands create an open lattice that crisps at every exposed edge while maintaining a firm, slightly resistant bite in the center. Potato starch mixed dry into the julienned potatoes acts as a binder that holds the strands together during frying and flipping without adding moisture that would soften the crust. Adding a small amount of julienned onion contributes sweetness to the flavor, but the onion releases water as it cooks - water that will steam the pancake from underneath instead of letting it fry. Squeezing the onion dry in a kitchen towel before adding it solves this problem. The batter should be no wetter than what the potato's own natural moisture provides after the starch is mixed in, and adding no further liquid keeps the surface from turning soggy. Generous oil in the pan and constant pressing with a spatula over medium heat ensure that the entire underside maintains full contact with the cooking surface, frying the strands to an even, crackling golden crust that holds together cleanly when sliced.
Korean Seafood Fried Rice
Mixed seafood including shrimp, squid, and mussel meat is stir-fried together on high heat until a smoky wok char develops. Day-old cold rice works best because its lower moisture content lets the grains separate cleanly in the pan, and seasoning with soy sauce and oyster sauce layers additional depth on top of the seafood's own brininess. Cracking the eggs into the pan first and immediately tossing the rice on top coats each grain in a thin shell of egg, yielding a lightly crisp exterior. Sesame oil is drizzled only after the heat is off so its fragrance stays intact.