Korean Chive Seafood Pancake

Quick answer

Total time: 34 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 3 servings
Ingredients: 7

About this dish

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.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

garlic chives160 gg

squid120 gg

peeled shrimp120 gg

pancake mix150 gg

water180 mlml

salt½ tsptsp

cooking oil2 tbsptbsp

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Heat

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.
2

Season

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.
3

Prep

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.
4

Control

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.
5

Heat

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.
6

Finish

Cook the second side over medium heat for 2 to 3 more minutes.

Remove and serve when no wet batter remains, the squid is opaque, and the shrimp is pink and cooked through.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Garlic chives, squid, and shrimp are pan-fried in a thin batter for this Korean Chive Seafood Pancake.
Finish cue: Remove and serve when no wet batter remains, the squid is opaque, and the shrimp is pink and cooked through.
Avoid this: 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.