Recipe: Oyster Omelet

This Oyster Omelet recipe is adapted from ”The Food of Taiwan: Recipes from the Beautiful Island” by Cathy Erway (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; $30). According to Erway, this dish is rooted in Fujian cuisine, but is especially popular in Taiwan both in home kitchens and night market stalls. The sweet potato starch slurry that is added to the omelet during cooking, along with the oysters, gives the dish a soft and gelatinous texture.

Oyster Omelet

Makes 2 omelets

Sweet-and-sour tomato-based sauce

¼ cup ketchup

¼ cup rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Kosher salt to taste

Omelet

4 large eggs

Pinch each of kosher salt and ground white pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil

8 oysters, pre-shucked or shucked at home

1 tablespoon sweet potato starch

1 small head baby bok choy or other mild-tasting leafy green, shredded

1 whole scallion, trimmed and finely chopped

To make the sauce: Add the ketchup, vinegar, sugar and soy sauce to a small saucepan over medium-high heat and stir to combine thoroughly. Cook for a few seconds, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to bubble.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and ½ cup cold water. Stir into the ketchup mixture and continue to cook, stirring, until thickened, about 1 minute. Add salt to taste. Remove from the heat and let cool completely before serving.

To make the omelet: In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the salt and white pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium nonstick skillet over high heat. Once the oil is very hot and just starting to pop, add 4 of the oysters to the pan. Let cook until they appear more firm, about 1 minute.

Stir the sweet potato starch into ½ cup cold water in a small bowl. Pour half the mixture into the pan over the oysters. Let bubble for a couple seconds and then pour half the beaten egg mixture into the pan over the oyster mixture. Let bubble for a few seconds while scraping the running edges toward the center to form a rounder, neater shape about 5 to 6 inches in diameter.

Place half the bok choy and scallions on top of the omelet. Peek at the underside of the omelet by lifting with a spatula and loosen the edges all around. If the underside is lightly browned and the edges are all loose, carefully flip the entire omelet over (use two spatulas if needed). Cook on the opposite side until lightly brown, about 1 more minute. Invert onto a plate to serve with the vegetable side facing up. Drizzle the top liberally with the sauce and serve immediately.

Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients.