Haemul-pajeon 해물파전

Seafood green onion pancake

Haemul-pajeon 해물파전

Today's menu is a pancake made with green onions (scallions) and seafood. The majority of Koreans use scallions when preparing pajeon, and seafood, such as squid or shrimp is the most common ingredient. I think the finest part of this Korean pancake is the pan-fried green onion. It tastes great and is perfectly crispy and tender at the same time. That's the reason it's one of the most ordered meals at Korean restaurants, particularly those that provide a Korean BBQ. Buy a Haemul-pajeon to share while you're all waiting for your BBQ. Order just one, though, or else when the meat is served, your stomach will be too stuffed. Using chopsticks, we all assist one another in getting a piece while we dine together.

Now we have a kind of family story. One day when we were up in the mountains, there were literally no restaurants around except for this Haemul-pajeon place, so we stopped by. It was winter and so cold outside it was ridiculous. This place was in the middle of nowhere. The kids were complaining that they were hungry, and so we stopped by, not knowing what was about to happen next. Well, we ordered one pancake without looking at the menu well, and they charged us over $35 bucks for it. Its true value was about $4 or $5 bucks at most. It was about the size of my hand spread. Upset, that's all I have to say about that. And a bit disappointed.

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