Add variety to Lenten dinners
Throughout Lent, many practicing Christians forego eating meat on Fridays. This custom continues until Easter Sunday as a way of recognizing the sacrifices of Jesus Christ. Fish and seafood, like these Korean pancakes, are often cooked during the season.
This recipe from “Judy Joo’s Korean Soul Food” can be served as an appetizer or a light, satisfying meal.
Seafood Pancakes
Makes 4 to 5 pancakes
2 ounces mussels, cleaned and debearded
2 ounces clams, cleaned
3 1⁄4 ounces rice flour
2 tablespoons cornflour
2 1⁄2 ounces self-rising flour
2 tablespoons dwengjang (Korean soy bean paste)
1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 large pinches of sea salt
3 1⁄2 ounces shrimp
5 spring onions, julienned
1 teaspoon garlic, grated or finely chopped
2 red chillies, thinly sliced at an angle
Vegetable oil for frying
In a large saucepan, add enough water so that it’s three-quarters full and bring to a boil. Add the mussels and clams and cook until the shells open. Remove the shellfish and set aside to cool. Retain 3⁄4 ounces of the cooking liquor then strain it to remove the meat from the shells of the mussels and clams and set aside.
In a large bowl, gently whisk together the rice flour, cornflour, self-rising flour, dwengjang, pepper, salt and 8 ounces of cold water and liquor from the cooked shellfish until smooth. Add the brown shrimp, mussels, clams, spring onions, garlic and red chillies (keeping the seeds, if you like more heat) and stir batter until thoroughly combined.
In a large nonstick frying pan, heat a generous drizzle of oil over a medium-high heat. Spoon in the batter and spread it evenly to form a pancake about 5 inches wide. Fry until golden brown and crispy on the base, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Carefully flip and cook for a further 3 to 4 minutes until the other side is golden. Transfer to a kitchen paper-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more oil to the frying pan as needed.
Serve immediately with a favorite dipping sauce.
Any shellfish can be substituted, but the ingredients listed help keep the pancakes crispy.