Cabbage Pancakes with Shrimp and Bacon

Heat the pan half-full of oil over medium. Cabbage goes in with the shallot and bacon—watch it lose its crunch but not turn brown. That’s maybe six minutes. Shrimp next, just until they’re no longer translucent. Ninety seconds tops. Then fold it all into the egg batter you mixed earlier and try not to overthink it.

Why You’ll Love These Cabbage Pancakes

Takes 30 minutes total—18 to prep, 12 to cook. Faster than ordering takeout. Japanese okonomiyaki style but easier. Crispy bacon, soft shrimp, egg holding it together. Seafood works because the tamari goes in the batter itself. Kids eat them. Adults ask for the recipe. Haven’t figured out why—maybe it’s the bonito flakes moving in the heat. Works cold the next day but doesn’t taste as alive. The texture gets a bit gummy. One pan. Most of it is just sitting there sizzling while you stand around.

What You Need for Shrimp Cabbage Pancakes

Two eggs. Not one, two. Whisk them loose but not frothy. Fifty milliliters of flour—that’s about three and a half tablespoons if you’re measuring weird. Five milliliters of tamari. It’s less sodium than regular soy. A scallion, sliced thin. Two hundred thirty milliliters of cabbage, shredded fine—like almost powdery. A small shallot, minced small. Fifty-five grams of bacon, diced. The streaky kind, not thick-cut. Twenty-five milliliters of canola oil. Six medium shrimp, peeled and chopped into one-centimeter chunks. Two and a half milliliters of powdered seaweed or nori flakes—this is what gives it that Japanese hit. Mayonnaise, the kind they use in Japan if you have it. Tonkatsu sauce for drizzling. Bonito flakes. Those are the ones that move.

How to Make Pan Fried Cabbage and Seafood Pancakes

Whisk the eggs first. Loose, not stiff. Stir in the flour and tamari until there’s no lumps—it goes from wet flour to batter in like a minute. Fold the scallion in last. That keeps it from going soggy.

Heat half your oil in a nonstick pan, medium heat. Cabbage, shallot, and bacon bits go in. Stir it around. You’re waiting for the cabbage to go soft and look kind of translucent but not brown. That takes about six minutes. Then add the shrimp chunks. Ninety seconds, maybe less. They turn opaque fast. Remove from heat. If there’s a pool of grease sitting there, drain some of it—it doesn’t need that much. Fold the whole thing into the egg batter. Fold gently. It doesn’t need to be uniform.

Wipe the pan clean. Medium heat again. Add the rest of the oil. Pour the batter in. Make it about one centimeter thick, kind of a disk shape. Spread it even but don’t fuss with the edges. Cook three minutes. The edges should be golden and firm, center still a little jiggly but not wet.

How to Get Cabbage Pancakes Crispy and Golden

Flip it carefully. Use a spatula that fits. One to one and a half minutes on the other side. That’s when the bottom sets and gets that tan color. Poke the center with your finger—should spring back slightly. If it collapses, it’s not done. If it feels raw, keep going, but it won’t. Test at the minute mark usually.

Transfer to a cutting board while it’s hot. Cut it into wedges or squares. Dust the seaweed powder on thick. Drizzle mayo in thin ribbons. Then tonkatsu sauce in a zigzag. Scatter bonito flakes on top. Watch them dance—that’s the residual heat moving them around.

Eat it immediately. Honestly. If it sits more than a few minutes, the texture gets gummy and the flakes stop moving. Not worth it cold.

Cabbage Pancakes Tips and Mistakes to Avoid

Don’t brown the cabbage and shrimp before folding. Sounds wrong, but you want them soft, not cooked hard. Soft things fold into batter easier.

Reheating only works in a gentle skillet. No microwave. Microwave turns it into rubber.

Smoked salmon works instead of shrimp—just drop the bacon. Too many competing fats otherwise. Ginger works too. A teaspoon grated into the batter. Or shichimi pepper if you want heat. Just a pinch.

The seaweed powder matters. Don’t skip it. It’s the Japanese part of this whole thing.

Cabbage Pancakes with Shrimp and Bacon

By Emma

Prep:

18 min

Cook:

12 min

Total:

30 min

Servings:

2 plates or 4 starters

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 50 ml (3½ tbsp) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 5 ml (1 tsp) tamari soy sauce
• 1 scallion, finely sliced
• 230 ml (just under 1 cup) finely shredded green cabbage
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 55 g (2 oz) streaky bacon, diced
• 25 ml (1½ tbsp) canola oil
• 6 medium shrimp, peeled, cut into 1 cm chunks
• 2.5 ml (½ tsp) powdered dried seaweed or finely chopped nori flakes
• Japanese or regular mayonnaise, to taste
• Tonkatsu sauce, for drizzling
• Bonito flakes, to finish

Method

1. 1 Whisk eggs lightly in a bowl; stir in flour and tamari until just mixed with no lumps. Fold in sliced scallion last to keep freshness intact.
2. 2 Heat half the oil in nonstick pan over medium heat. Toss in cabbage, shallot, and bacon bits. Sauté until cabbage softens and translucency appears; about 6 minutes—not browned, but losing crunch. Then add shrimp chunks. Cook 90 seconds, till shrimp turn opaque but not rubbery. Remove from heat and drain any excess fat if crazy greasy. Fold this mix into egg batter gently.
3. 3 Wipe pan clean. Medium heat again, add remaining oil. Pour all batter forming 1 cm thick disk. Spread evenly but don’t fuss with edges. Cook about 3 minutes—edges golden and set, center slightly jiggly but not wet. Flip carefully; cook another 1–1½ minutes. Test done by poking center; should spring back slightly, not collapse or feel raw.
4. 4 Transfer to board; cut into wedges or squares while hot, splash wavering aromas will rise. Dust with seaweed powder liberally; drizzle mayo in thin ribbons followed by zigzags of tonkatsu sauce. Scatter bonito flakes on top; watch them dance in the residual heat.
5. 5 Eat immediately. If left too long, pancakey texture gets gummy and flakes lose their movement. Reheating? Gentle skillet warm only, no microwave.
6. 6 Substitute idea: use smoked salmon chunks instead of shrimp for smoky marine notes—drop bacon if doing this to avoid competing fats. For spicy kick, mix 1 tsp grated ginger or a pinch of shichimi pepper into batter.

Nutritional information

Calories

370

Protein

22g

Carbs

18g

Fat

22g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Cabbage Pancakes with Eggs and Soy Sauce

Can I make these ahead? Not really. The texture goes gummy if it sits. You can prep everything and fold the cooked vegetables into the batter 15 minutes before cooking. Don’t wait longer.

What if I can’t find nori flakes? Powdered seaweed from any Asian market works. Or just use less. The dish still works without it.

Can I use a different oil? Canola works fine. Vegetable oil, same thing. Olive oil burns too fast. Not worth it.

Why do the bonito flakes move? Heat. The pancake’s still hot when they hit it. They flutter. That’s just what they do.

Should I use tamari or regular soy sauce? Tamari’s less intense. Regular soy works but use less—maybe three-quarters teaspoon instead. Or just use tamari. It’s not expensive.

How do I know when the shrimp are done? They go from translucent to opaque. Ninety seconds usually. One minute if you’re slow. Any longer and they get rubbery. Doesn’t come back.