Recipe Oyster Omelet

Recipe Oyster Omelet

Ingredients (serves two greedy gourmets):

500 g cleaned pearl oysters (see note)

100 g sweet potato starch plus 1 cup water

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp potato starch (extra)

1 tsp white pepper

2 eggs

Chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Method:

1. Mix the oysters with the potato starch and pepper.

2. Bring a small pot of water to a high boil and drop the oysters in. Count to 10 and then remove the oyster immediately. Drain and set aside.

3. Heat up a flat-bottomed frying pan over medium fire. When the pan is hot enough, add some oil to coat the bottom generously.

4. Mix together the potato starch and water and mix well. Add a small ladle of starch solution to the pan, swirling it around to spread it thinly. Leave to crisp until the starch turns totally transparent.

5. Break the eggs into the pan and spread them evenly over the starch base.

6. Add the oysters and sprinkle with fish sauce and more pepper to taste.

7. Flip the omelet to cook the oysters, and after a minute, flip it back and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve immediately.

Food notes:

The oysters used here are the little shucked pearl oysters that are sold in plastic tubes at local fishmongers. They have to be washed several times to get rid of small bits of broken shell, and the slime that seems to stick to their skirts. Don t be discouraged by the process.

Wash the oysters thoroughly the first time, then throw out any broken or dubious ones. Clean your picked oysters and add 1 tablespoon of corn starch or all-purpose flour to the shellfish. Gently rub them with your fingers. This encourages the dark slime to stick to the flour. Rinse off the flour and slime and you have nice clean fat oyster meat. Give it a final rinse for good measure. They re now ready for use.