Neil Perry's stir-fried crab omelette

Name: Neil Perry's stir-fried crab omelette
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Ingredients: 5 eggs (approx 55g each); 1 tbsp palm sugar; 1 tbsp fish sauce; 200g spanner crab meat; 100g beansprouts; 50g snowpea sprouts; 15 Chinese yellow chives, washed and halved; 2 cups peanut or vegetable oil; 4 tbsp oyster sauce

Neil Perry

July 18, 2019

Time:< 30 minsServes:4

I've been making this since it came on the menu at Sydney's Rockpool in 1989. In fact, I made it for dinner the other night, which reminded me to share it with you because it's just so good. Served with rice, it's a cracking meal. You can add whatever you like to the middle of it: seafood, barbecue pork or roast chicken. The key is that the oil must be super-hot, so the egg puffs up and forms a crust. If you make this once, I promise you it'll become a regular.

Ingredients

5 eggs (approx 55g each)
1 tbsp palm sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
200g spanner crab meat
100g beansprouts
50g snowpea sprouts
15 Chinese yellow chives, washed and halved
2 cups peanut or vegetable oil
4 tbsp oyster sauce

FOR THE BROTH

150ml fresh chicken stock
3 tbsp palm sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sesame oil

Method

1. To make the broth, combine all the ingredients except the sesame oil in a pot. Bring to the boil, pour in the sesame oil and keep warm.
2. To make the omelette, beat the eggs in a medium-sized bowl. Dissolve the palm sugar in the fish sauce in a small container. Add to the eggs and whisk well.
3. Place the crabmeat in a separate bowl, removing any cartilage and shell. Add the beansprouts, snowpea sprouts and chives, and mix well.
4. Place the peanut oil in a wok and heat until it's smoking hot. Pour in the egg mixture (it should puff up). Cook for 3 minutes, then place the crab mixture in the middle. Cook for a further 3 minutes and remove from heat.
5. Pour off the excess oil. Fold the omelette, and place it back on the heat for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and rest it near a heat source for a further 2 minutes.
6. Remove the omelette from the wok with a fish lifter (or an egg spatula) and place on a board. Trim off the ends and place in a large bowl. Pour over the hot broth and top with oyster sauce.