Olympic Scallion Pancake Adventure

The savory scallion pancake rabbit hole online is one I’m so glad to have stumbled down. It has just about everything: big flavors, public park ingredient foraging, derring do, and sparkly hats, all against a backdrop of Olympic glory. Best of all, these pancakes are incredibly forgiving.

This adventure began in Portland, Oregon. Guillaume and I were visiting friends who brought us to a tiny Korean restaurant for a post-movie dinner. Traveling had messed up my stomach and in the dash through the rain from the car to the restaurant door, I wondered if I’d even be able to eat. But then this golden pancake arrived. So perfectly crispy. So addictive. The dipping sauce so perfectly balanced.

Earlier last month, Guillaume suggested we make some Korean dishes to celebrate the Winter Olympics. The mystery pancake sprang to mind. Being fairly new to Korean cuisine, I wasn’t sure what it was actually called. Through Google Maps triangulation and Yelp, I figured out where we had eaten. The restaurant doesn’t have a website, but many people raved about the pancake, which one Yelp user helpfully labeled on a photo: “haemul pajeon.”

Famed Korean food blogger Maangchi didn’t have that exact pancake recipe on her site, but she does have a green onion one. For it, she picked wild green onions in a Manhattan public park. I’ve been to that park! Who knew? And the hat she wears for the cooking demo is simply divine.

Another treasure was Chef Buck’s instructional YouTube video for making haemul pajeon. I could not stop giggling. It’s fantastic. Then Guillaume came back with an illuminating video of Maangchi demonstrating scallion and seafood pancakes for a WNYC audience. A different great hat!

So with Olympic figure skating fresh on the brain, a recipe cobbled together from various videos, and fresh ingredients at the ready, I got to work. Guillaume provided moral support and encouragement. We also used slightly more seafood than what is listed below. This made flipping the pancake more challenging. Plus errant water droplets from the veggies caused the hot oil to pop out. Be careful. Wearing an apron helps.

You can omit the seafood and add more scallions or switch up the type of seafood. Cooked salad shrimp works in a pinch. Make individual pancakes rather than a big one. Add a different amount of salt if you prefer. Maangchi says it’s fine to use rice flour instead of all-purpose.

Korean Seafood and Scallion Pancake (Haemul Pajeon)

2 oz. raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 oz. raw squid
4 – 5 scallions
½ C. all-purpose flour
½ C. cold water
½ tsp. salt
1 large fresh egg
Red bell pepper quarter piece
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Dipping sauce:
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
Sesame seeds
Chili sauce or 3 slices from a fresh chili pepper such as a Serrano

Mix together the dipping sauce in a small bowl: 2 Tbsp. soy sauce, 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar, 1 tsp. honey or brown sugar, a sprinkle of sesame seeds, some chili sauce or fresh chili pepper slices, depending on your taste. Double the amount for multiple batches of pancakes. Set aside.

Sift flour into a medium mixing bowl. Add the salt, egg, and the cold water. Mix batter with a spoon until uniformly wet. OK to have some lumps.

Prep the vegetables: Rinse and pat dry scallions. With a large, sharp knife, chop them finely into small pieces. Add those to the bowl with the batter.

Rinse, pat dry, seed, and chop the red bell pepper quarter into small pieces. This is just for color so you can use more or less of the pepper depending on the size and preference. Add the pieces to the batter bowl.

Roughly chop the raw shrimp into bite-size pieces. Cut the squid section into strips and then lengthwise to make bite-sized pieces. Add the seafood to the batter bowl. Mix the batter well to incorporate the additional ingredients.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. You can drop in the batter for several small pancakes or make one large one. A large pancake takes 2 to 5 minutes per side to cook. Flip small ones with a spatula or flip a large one using a flick of the wrist with the whole pan. Avoid flipping the pan directly over the hot burner because oil can escape when the pancake lands. Really go for it! Aim high! Go for the gold!

The pancake should be deep golden brown with the scallion pieces starting to get dark. You can lower the temperature if it’s getting too dark too fast. Check it periodically by lifting the edge with a spatula. Remove the pancake or pancakes to a platter, cut into pieces with a large knife, and serve immediately with the dipping sauce. Mmmmm.