Jeon (or jun) is a term that refers to pan-fried battered food in Korean cuisine. There are typically two types of jeon. The first type is pancake-like dishes such as pajeon and kimchijeon. For these, the main ingredients are mixed with a flour batter and then pan fried into a crispy pancake. The other type is what I made for this recipe. The pieces are individually pan-fried in egg batter to create a soft skin. Variations include: saengseonjeon (fish), hobakjeon (zucchini), saewoojeon (shrimp), guljeon (oyster), beoseotjeon (mushrooms), gochujeon (chili pepper), etc. Any combination of these is called modeumjeon. The recipe here is for hobakjeon (zucchini), saewoojeon (shrimp), and saengseonjeon (fish), but you can create your own combination with the ingredients you like. Enjoy as an appetizer or side dish along with any meal.

Ingredients:

● 1 zucchini

● 10 shrimp (medium to large)

● 220 grams flounder or cod fillet (or any white fish)

● Salt and pepper

● 3 eggs, beaten

● 1/2 cup flour

● Vegetable or canola oil for pan frying

Slice the zucchini into 1-centimeter discs. Lightly salt both sides and set aside for at least 20 minutes. Pat dry with a paper towel.

Peel and devein the shrimp, keeping the tail on. Rinse and pat dry with a paper towel. Butterfly the shrimp by cutting along the curved back. Do not cut through. Open the shrimp halves and remove the vein. Lightly sprinkle salt and pepper over both sides. Set aside at least for 15 minutes.

Rinse fish and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut the fish fillet into 1.5-centimeter thick, 5-centimeter long slices by running the knife diagonally through the fillet. Lightly sprinkle salt and pepper over both sides. Set aside for at least 15 minutes.

Dredge both sides of the prepared ingredients in flour, one piece at a time. (Do this step for all the pieces before the next step.)

Heat a large non-stick skillet with a tablespoon of oil over medium low heat. Dip each piece one at a time in the beaten egg, and carefully place in the heated skillet. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, adding more oil if needed, until slightly golden. Do not brown.

Repeat until all the ingredients are pan fried. Add an additional tablespoon of oil each time.

Serve warm with a dipping sauce.

For more recipes visit www.koreanbapsang.com.

By Ro Hyo-sun