Snacks & Kuih · Korea

How Many Calories in Haemul Pajeon?

Also known as 해물파전, Korean Seafood Scallion Pancake, Pajeon, 파전.

Haemul pajeon is a thick pan-fried pancake of scallions and mixed seafood in a wheat and egg batter, cut into wedges and dipped in soy vinegar. Rainy day food, and the standard partner for a bowl of makgeolli.

600kcal / 1 whole pancake (restaurant size, about 300g)
A whole restaurant haemul pajeon, about 300g, is roughly 600 calories, based on the fatsecret.kr Bibigo figure of 270 calories per 130g piece scaled up. About 260 of that is the flour batter and 180 is the oil it fries in. The seafood is only around 80 calories, and one wedge of 8 is about 75.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 whole pancake (restaurant size, about 300g) (300g)AmountPer 100g
Calories600 kcal200 kcal
Protein20 g7 g
Carbs62 g21 g
Fat30 g10 g

Where the calories come from

Wheat flour and starch batter120g
260 kcal
Squid, shrimp, clams80g
80 kcal
Scallions60g
20 kcal
Egg50g
75 kcal
Frying oil20g
180 kcal

The real talk

Pajeon is a fried batter with things in it, and the batter is thick. A restaurant pancake uses about 120g of flour and starch plus an egg, which is 335 calories before it touches the pan. Then it fries in 20g or more of oil on a hot griddle, and the crispy edges everyone fights over are where that 180 calories of oil sits.

The seafood and scallions are the healthy part and the smallest part. 80g of squid, shrimp and clams is about 80 calories with 15g of protein, and 60g of scallions is 20. If you made the same pancake with double the scallions and half the flour, it would be about 400 and taste better, but no restaurant does that.

At 15,000 to 20,000 won a plate it is meant for sharing, and two people usually split one alongside a kettle of makgeolli. Half a pajeon is 300 calories, and a 750ml bottle of makgeolli is about 340 more, so a rainy evening at the jeon house is 640 per person before the second bottle.

How the portions compare

75 kcal
1 wedge (of 8)
600 kcal
Whole pancake (300g)
940 kcal
Whole pancake with a bottle of makgeolli

Haemul Pajeon variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Buchu jeon (chive pancake)380 kcalThinner, less batter
Kimchi jeon420 kcalThin, kimchi in batter
Haemul pajeon, standard600 kcalThick, seafood loaded
Dongnae pajeon (Busan)720 kcalExtra egg, rice flour batter

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in one slice of pajeon?
About 75 per wedge if the pancake is cut into 8. Edge pieces are closer to 90 because they hold more oil.
Is pajeon healthy?
The scallions and seafood are, but they are about 100 calories out of 600. The rest is flour and frying oil. Share it and it is fine.
How many calories in pajeon with makgeolli?
A whole pajeon (600) with a 750ml bottle of makgeolli (about 340) is roughly 940. Split between two, 470 each.
Which jeon has the fewest calories?
Buchu (chive) jeon at about 380 for a whole thin pancake, then kimchi jeon at 420. Haemul pajeon is the thickest and heaviest at 600.

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Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical restaurant or pojangmacha serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

Calorie figure based on fatsecret.kr 해물파전 (비비고 130g 270 kcal, about 207 kcal per 100g) scaled to a 300g restaurant pancake. Macros estimated from the ingredients.

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