Korean Tuna Pancakes - this is one of my favorite ways to use canned tuna.
All you need is a few common ingredients. And 10 minutes!
If you get the ratio of ingredients correct (don’t worry, we’ll give you the proper ratio), the tuna patties will not break apart when flipping.
What does it taste like?
It tastes crispy on the outside – with a soft and savory texture on the inside. Think of a tuna melt… or tuna kimbap filling 😉
Enjoy this dish as a mini-meal or use it as banchan (side-dish).
Our recipe should make 6 medium-sized patties.
(Also: These patties work great as leftovers. They do not get soggy or break apart when stored overnight in the refrigerator. Re-heat the next day, with some oil in a frying pan)
I recommend eating this tuna jeon with a dollop of (Japanese) mayonnaise and your hot sauce on the side.
So simple, so good!
Some cooking notes for Tuna Jeon:
Should I use tuna packed in oil or water?
We typically use tuna-packed in oil. It tastes better.
Drain the oil/water from the tuna – take out as much as you can!
We’ll use 300g of tuna (check the size of your cans… and use either 2 or 3 cans)
Finely dice the onions & carrots.
(Yes, both the onions & carrots will fully cook through when you cook the patties)
I didn’t have any chili peppers on hand, but feel free to finely chop and add-in ½ Jalapeño Pepper (or ½ Cheongyang Chili Pepper) for a slight kick.
After you stir the fresh ingredients together, then add-in the flour.
The flour will get the patties dry and easier to cook!
After you flip the jeon, feel free to add in a bit more cooking oil to the pan.
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Ingredients
- 300 grams Canned Tuna (Use 2-3 cans) (Check Tuna Can for Size)
- ½ a whole Onion
- Small piece of Carrot
- 3 stalks of Scallions (Green Onions)
- 3 Eggs
- 5 Pinches of Salt
- 5 Cracks of Black Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
Dipping Sauce
- Good squeeze of Japanese Mayonnaise
- A drizzle Hot Sauce
Instructions
Prep Ingredients
- Check the size of your tuna can (we need 300g - so use 2 or 3 cans). Open the tuna cans and drain out the liquid. Empty the tuna into a large mixing bowl.
- Next, finely dice ½ an onion and a small piece of carrot (about a pinky finger-length size). Add both to the mixing bowl.
- Then finely dice 3 stalks of green onion (scallions) - add it to the mixing bowl
- [Optional ingredient: Finely dice ½ a chili pepper (discard seeds) - add it to the mixing bowl]
- Crack 3 eggs into the mixing bowl.
- Then season with 5 big pinches of salt. Followed by 5 cracks of black pepper.
- Thoroughly mix everything together.
- Finally, we'll add in All-Purpose Flour (2 Tablespoons). Mix it together well. The batter will be sticky now.
Pan-Fry Mixture
- Place some oil into a frying pan. Once the oil is hot, use a soup ladle and drop in one ladle of mixture.
- Use a wooden utensil and shape the mix into a small circle - gently shape against the edge of the frying pan to shape. Repeat this step and add a few more circles to the frying pan.
- Reduce the heat to a medium-low and let each side cook until they get crispy and brown. (Feel free to flip each patty and take a look to gauge doneness.)
- Serve with a bowl of rice!
- Dip the tuna jeon into some mayonnaise (or hot sauce).
Helen says
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