Busan's seafood pancake: squid, prawn and clam packed into a spring onion batter and crisped on cast-iron. Koreans say rain makes them crave it — the sizzle sounds the same.
About Haemul Pajeon
Busan's seafood pancake and Korea's greatest rainy-day food — a thick, crisp-edged batter of flour and egg packed with spring onion, squid, prawn and clam, pressed flat on a cast-iron pan and cooked until the base is golden and the seafood caramelises into the crust; dipped in a soy-vinegar sauce; the sound of rain, Koreans say, makes them crave pajeon.
Korea's great rainy-day food: a thick batter of flour and egg packed with spring onion, squid, prawn and clam, pressed flat on a cast-iron pan and cooked until the base is golden and the seafood caramelises into the crust. The batter is thick enough to be substantial and thin enough to be crispy-edged.
“The batter is thick enough to be substantial and thin enough to be crispy-edged.”
Koreans say the sound of rain on a tin roof resembles the sizzling of pajeon in a pan — which is why rain makes Koreans crave pajeon. This association is culturally real and widely acknowledged.
What to Expect
The pajeon arrives at the table still in the pan, the base dark gold and the spring onions visible through the egg. You cut it with scissors (the Korean method) and dip in soy-vinegar sauce.
Why Try It
Haemul pajeon is the dish that most clearly expresses Korean anju culture — food designed to be eaten with drinks, specifically makgeolli (milky rice wine).
Insider Tips
- Eat it with makgeolli (rice wine) — the combination is the Korean standard.
- Cut with scissors at the table, not with a knife — the Korean method is faster and neater.
- Gwangjang Market in Seoul has accessible pajeon stalls alongside the tteokbokki.
