As long as you have some kimchi and seafood, you can make these crispy, flavor-packed, savory kimchi pancakes with a few simple ingredients.
Our kimchi and seafood pancake recipe
One of the easiest and quickest things to cook is a kimchi pancake, which is one of Koreans’ all-time favorite foods. It’s a bit sweet, a little sour, and a little salty, and it’s hot, spicy, and crispy.
Traditional kimchi pancakes are also known as kimchijeon or kimchi buchimgae. For this recipe, we add jalapenos and seafood to this Korean kimchi pancake. These crispy kimchi pancakes are great as a snack, appetizer, or light dinner!
Aged kimchi is best for these kimchi pancakes
You can create this famous snack in no time if you have beautifully fermented kimchi, seafood, and flour. When cooked in a basic batter, the flavor-packed sour kimchi works wonders and gives these pancakes a punch of flavor. The best kimchi to cook with is ripe, well-fermented kimchi. Kimchi pancakes are traditionally made using Napa cabbage kimchi and that is what we highly recommend for this recipe.
Ingredients needed for this recipe
- Aged kimchi
- Seafood combo mix
- Jalapeno peppers
- Green onions
- Avocado oil
For the pancake batter:
- Salt
- Mushroom umami powder
- Ground black pepper
- All-purpose flour
- Egg
- Cold water
Tips for making these kimchi and seafood pancakes:
- Use aged and fermented kimchi.
- We made smaller-sized pancakes. We think this helps make the pancakes crispier.
- Make sure to use cold water for the batter.
- Spread the batter thinly to make these pancakes crispy.
- Make sure to use a good non-stick pan so the kimchi pancakes don’t stick. Use plenty of oil to coat the pan as well to help them not stick.
How to serve these Korean pancakes
These kimchi pancakes can be served as an appetizer by themselves. You can also serve these as a snack. You could even make them into a light meal by serving a few different side dishes (banchan) on the side.
These taste great without a sauce, however, if you want a sauce to go with these pancakes then try our Homemade Korean-Style Spicy Sauce recipe. We also love dipping kimchi pancakes in a simple sauce that is just coconut aminos with a dash of cayenne pepper powder on top.
More recipes to try
- Soy Sauce Braised Beef with Green Peppers (Jangjorim)
- Easy Shrimp Fried Rice
- Easy Korean Kimbap (Gimbap)
- Sweet Rice Cakes Filled with Dates and Honey
- Korean Spicy Stir-Fried Eggplant
HUNGRY FOR MORE? Subscribe to our newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Kimchi and Seafood Pancake
As long as you have some kimchi and seafood, you can make these crispy, flavor-packed, savory kimchi pancakes with a few simple ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 cup aged kimchi, diced
- 1 cup seafood combo mix, thawed/drained of water, chopped
- 2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed, diced
- 2 green onions, cut in half lengthwise, then chop 2” pieces
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil
For the pancake batter:
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons mushroom umami powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ cup cold water
Instructions
- Mix the flour, cold water, egg, salt, and mushroom umami powder together in a large mixing bowl. Mix until the batter is a smooth consistency.
- Now add in the kimchi, seafood combo, green onions, and jalapeno peppers to the pancake batter.
- Add 1 Tablespoon of avocado oil to a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add about ¼ cup of the batter to the frying pan. Let it spread out like a mini-pancake.
- Once one side is browned, about 4-5 minutes, then flip to the other side. Let the second side brown for about 4-5 until browned. Set pancakes aside on a plate.
- Continue steps 3 - 4 to continue making the pancakes until all the batter is used up.
- Enjoy the kimchi pancakes plain or with our spicy dipping sauce.
We love seeing your creations from our recipes! Tag us on Instagram at @AsianRecipesAtHome.
Disclaimer: Under no circumstances shall this website and the author(s) be responsible for any loss or damages resulting from the reliance of the given nutritional information or ingredient/product recommendations. Recommended ingredients/products can change their formula at any time without this website and author’s awareness. It is your responsibility (the reader’s) to check the label/ingredients of any product prior to purchasing and/or using. We greatly appreciate your support and understanding.