Dongtae Jeon (Pan Fried Battered Pollack Fillets)
Tender holiday Dongtae jeon pan-fried without fishy odors by removing moisture and using mirin.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
A savory pancake dish that is great for the Seollal ancestral table or as a snack with drinks. Sprinkle mirin over the semi-thawed fish fillets to get rid of fishiness, and thoroughly pat off the moisture with paper towels so the pancakes stay moist without turning soggy. Adding extra egg yolks to the egg wash and straining it creates a much brighter, prettier yellow color.
- Servings
- about 4–5 servings
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spiciness
- Not spicy
Ingredients
- Pollock fillets (or dried cod fillets)2 packs
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)1/3 cup
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Flour1/2 cup
- Egg5
- You can use cod fillets instead of pollock fillets.
- You can prepare crown daisy or red chili pepper as garnishes to decorate the Dongtae jeon beautifully.
- Sprinkling mirin evenly over the semi-thawed pollock fillets helps them thaw naturally while removing any fishy odor.
- Place the fillets on paper towels to remove any remaining moisture without breaking their shape, then season evenly with salt and ground black pepper.
Steps
Prepare the ingredients
I prepared 2 packs of pollock fillets, but you can also use cod fillets.
I prepared 5 eggs, flour, and crown daisy or red chili pepper to garnish the Dongtae jeon nicely.
Prepare the pollock fillets
Sprinkling mirin evenly in small amounts over the semi-thawed pollock fillets helps them thaw naturally while removing any fishy odor.
Place the fillets on paper towels to remove the remaining moisture so their shape does not get ruined, then season evenly with salt and ground black pepper.
If you pan-fry the pollock fillets while moisture remains, the oil splatters a lot, and the pancakes become soggy and droopy.
Simply removing the moisture well like this lets you make crispy yet moist Dongtae jeon.
Make the egg wash
If you want the yellow color to stand out when pan-fried, you can make the egg wash by adding around 2 egg yolks.
Add a little salt, beat well, and pass it through a sieve once.
This prevents any lumps so the egg wash coats evenly.
Coat in egg wash and pan-fry
Coat both sides with flour and gently shake off the excess, then dip into the egg wash to coat both sides.
Heat a pan, add a generous amount of cooking oil, place the pollock fillets in, and top them nicely with crown daisy cut to fit their size.
Pan-fry over medium-low heat until crispy on both sides without burning.
Finish
I made the egg wash with 2 additional yolks and pan-fried them. The yellow color is pretty.
Eating them right after pan-frying, they are moist on the inside and so savory.
Even though it is frozen fish, as long as you prep it well, you can pan-fry it deliciously without any fishy odor.
Once it cools down, you can pan-fry it just lightly in a pan to enjoy it warm.
Ppunwife's tips
- If you pan-fry the pollock fillets while moisture remains, the oil splatters a lot, and the pancakes become soggy and droopy. Simply removing the moisture well like this lets you make crispy yet moist Dongtae jeon.
- If you want the yellow color to stand out when pan-fried, you can make the egg wash by adding around 2 egg yolks.
- Adding a little salt, beating well, and passing it through a sieve once prevents any lumps so the egg wash coats evenly.
- Once it cools down, you can pan-fry it just lightly in a pan to enjoy it warm.
FAQ
Can I make this with other fish instead of pollock fillets?
You can use cod fillets instead of pollock fillets and cook them the exact same way.
How do I prep the fish to remove any fishy smell?
Sprinkling mirin evenly over the fish when it is semi-thawed helps reduce odors while it thaws naturally.
Is there a way to give the pancakes a prettier yellow color?
Adding around 2 egg yolks to the egg wash and passing it through a sieve once gives it a smooth, pretty color without lumps.
How do I reheat pancakes that have gone cold?
Place them in a pan and lightly pan-fry them briefly to enjoy them warm.
