Chewy and Delicious Wild Mussel Pancake (Honghapjeon)
Chewy and Delicious Wild Mussel Pancake (Honghapjeon)
Wild Mussel Pancake Recipe Full of Ocean Flavor
Hello! ‘Bap-sim’ is the strength of our nation. Today, we’re going to make a delicious mussel pancake using fresh, wild mussels, capturing the deep flavor of the sea. The chewy mussel meat combined with the savory pancake is perfect as a side dish for rice or as a delicious snack with drinks!
Main Ingredients- 25 Wild Mussels (cleaned)
- 1.5 cups Mussel Broth (approx. 300ml)
- 1.5 cups Pancake Mix (approx. 180g)
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 Red Chili Pepper (thinly sliced for garnish)
- 1/2 Cheongyang Pepper (thinly sliced for garnish)
- Cooking oil (like canola oil) for frying, as needed
- 1/2 Onion (thinly julienned)
- 1/4 Carrot (thinly julienned)
- 3 handfuls of Chives (approx. 60g, cut into 4-5cm lengths)
- Salt to taste
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Wild mussels (known as ‘seop’ in Korea) tend to have thicker shells and are larger than farmed mussels. While their shells might look a bit rough with seaweed or debris, the meat inside is very rich and flavorful.
Step 2
Since wild mussels often contain more impurities, wash them under running water by rubbing them against each other with both hands. It’s crucial to rinse them thoroughly until the water runs clear.
Step 3
Remove the beard-like byssal threads attached to the inside of the mussels by either cutting them with scissors or pulling them off with your fingers.
Step 4
The mussels are now cleaned and ready. Next, we’ll make a broth to extract their deep sea flavor.
Step 5
We’ll create a mussel broth to use in the pancake batter. For an even deeper and more refreshing flavor, you can add a green onion, dried onion skins, and a few slices of radish to the broth.
Step 6
Place the cleaned mussels, prepared vegetables, and 1 liter of water in a pot and bring to a boil. As soon as the mussels start to open, immediately remove them. Continue to boil the broth to concentrate its flavor. Be careful not to overcook the mussels themselves, as they can shrink and become tough if boiled for too long before being added to the pancake.
Step 7
While the broth is simmering, remove and set aside the vegetables used for flavoring to cool down.
Step 8
Chives can be quite earthy, so sprinkle them with an eco-friendly cleaner like calcium powder and let them sit for about 10 minutes. Then, rinse them thoroughly under running water several times. You can also rinse them with water mixed with a little vinegar. Make sure to drain them well.
Step 9
Prepare the julienned onions and carrots, and the chives cut into 4-5cm lengths. Toss these vegetables with 1 tablespoon of glutinous rice flour. This step helps prevent the vegetables from falling out of the pancake when it’s cooked.
Step 10
Take the mussel meat (you can chop it if preferred, or leave it whole) that was removed from the shells. Toss it with 1 tablespoon of glutinous rice flour. Coating the mussels with glutinous rice flour ensures they stick firmly to the pancake batter and don’t separate, making each bite more cohesive and delicious. It’s like dressing the mussels!
Step 11
In a large bowl, combine 1.5 cups of the prepared mussel broth and 1.5 cups of pancake mix. Crack in 1 egg and whisk everything together with a whisk or spatula until you have a smooth, lump-free batter.
Step 12
If the current bowl seems too small, transfer the batter to a larger one. Now, add the vegetables and mussel meat (both coated in glutinous rice flour) to the batter.
Step 13
Mix everything thoroughly until the vegetables and mussels are well incorporated into the batter. Finally, season with a little salt to taste. Remember that mussels have their own natural saltiness, so add salt gradually while tasting.
Step 14
Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add a generous amount of oil. Ladle portions of the batter onto the hot pan, spreading them out thinly to form pancakes. Cook over medium-low heat, flipping once, until both sides are golden brown and crispy. For a decorative touch and added flavor, place thinly sliced red and Cheongyang peppers on top as a garnish. The key to a great mussel pancake is to cook it thinly and until it’s nicely browned and crispy!
