AI-generated image
Saeu jeon (shrimp pancakes)
Prawn pancakes
Butterflied prawns pressed flat, egg-dipped and fried for the holiday jeon platter
Saeu jeon are a celebratory addition to the jeon platter for Seollal and Chuseok in homes all over Korea; prawns, with their bent backs, have long stood for a wish to live until you are old and stooped. Butterflied and pressed flat, each prawn turns into a neat golden fan with a pink tail, sweet and tender inside a soft egg coat. Children love them, and they disappear faster than anything else on the table. Serve with a soy-vinegar dip, japchae and rice. Chef's tip: make a few shallow cuts across the inner belly before flattening; it stops the prawns curling up in the pan.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the prawns
- 16 large raw prawnsabout 400 g, heads removed, peeled with tails left on
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 4 tbsp plain flour
- 2 eggsbeaten
- 16 flat-leaf parsley or chrysanthemum leaves (optional)small leaves
- 4 tbsp neutral oil
For the dip
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- ½ tsp sugar
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (3)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Cut along the back of each of the 16 large raw prawns almost but not quite through, and pull out the dark vein. Open them out like a book.
6 minStep 2: Turn each prawn over and make 3 shallow cuts across the belly side, then press it flat with the flat of a knife. Common mistake: skipping these cuts; the prawns curl into balls and the coating cracks.
4 minStep 3: Pat dry, season with ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp ground white pepper, then dust both sides in 4 tbsp plain flour, shaking off the excess but leaving the tails bare.
2 minStep 4: Heat 2 tbsp neutral oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Holding each prawn by its tail, dip it in 2 eggs and lay it flat in the pan. Press a 16 flat-leaf parsley or chrysanthemum leaves leaf on top if you like.
3 minStep 5: Fry for 2 minutes, until the underside is golden, then add the remaining 2 tbsp neutral oil, turn and fry for 1–2 minutes more, until the flesh at the thickest point is pink and opaque all the way through.
4 minStep 6: Drain on kitchen paper. Mix 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice vinegar and ½ tsp sugar and serve with the hot saeu jeon.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 240 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does saeu jeon (shrimp pancakes) take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Moreton Bay bugsSlipper lobster with garlic butter
Moreton Bay bugs are the flat, shovel-nosed slipper lobsters caught off the Queensland coast around Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, and for Queenslanders they are a summer treat, split and grilled at the beach house. The tail meat is sweet and rich, somewhere between lobster and prawn. Buy them raw, frozen or fresh, from a fishmonger and ask them to halve them if you like. A common mistake is overcooking, which makes the meat rubbery; it is ready the moment it turns white. Chef's tip: grill flesh side down first to mark it, then turn and baste in the shell.
Australian
All i pebreEel and potato paprika stew
In El Palmar and the other villages around the Albufera lagoon south of Valencia, the restaurants that are famous for paella serve something older first: all i pebre, "garlic and pepper", a brick-red stew of lagoon eel and potatoes thickened with a pounded almond and fried-bread picada. It is rich, garlicky and gently hot, eaten with bread to mop up the sauce. Ask your fishmonger to skin and cut the eel, and handle it with gloves: raw eel blood is irritating, though harmless once cooked. If you can't find eel, monkfish or hake works well. A common mistake is letting the paprika burn; it turns bitter in seconds, so add it off the heat. Chef's tip: break the potatoes with a knife instead of cutting cleanly; the rough edges release starch and thicken the sauce.
Spanish
Midia saganakiMussels with tomato and feta
Thessaloniki is Greece's mussel capital, with farms in the Thermaic Gulf a few kilometres from the seafront ouzeries where this two-handled pan arrives, still bubbling, at the table. Mussels steam open in a quick sauce of peppers, tomato and chilli, and crumbled feta melts into the juices at the end. Bread is essential. The classic version adds a splash of ouzo; this one is alcohol-free, using a pinch of fennel seed for that aniseed note (add 2 tbsp ouzo with the tomatoes if you like). Common mistake: overcooking — take the pan off the heat as soon as the shells open. Chef's tip: buy mussels on the day and keep them in the fridge in a bowl covered with a damp cloth, never in water.
Greek