My dad seems to have hundreds of recipes involving eggs, and this is yet another recipe that's extremely delicious, healthy, and easy to make! Perfect for easy weeknight meals :)
Check out a quick story summary of our recipe!
My dad seems to have hundreds of recipes involving eggs, and this is yet another recipe that's extremely delicious, healthy, and easy to make! Perfect for easy weeknight meals :)
Check out a quick story summary of our recipe!
Main Ingredients
most fish work - we're using swai fish here
)Seasoning for Eggs
Seasoning for Fish
My dad is using swai fish here, but the recipe works with many different types of fish, shrimp, and other seafood. You can also make this with oysters, which is a very popular Hokkien and Teochew dish in restaurants and night markets throughout Southeast Asia.
Also known as basa or panga, swai is a popular type of catfish also native to Southeast Asia. As with all types of meat and seafood, if you have the means and ability, it's helpful to consider buying from sustainable sources. The Monterey Bay Aquarium manages a really helpful service called "Seafood Watch", which gives us consumers a bunch of recommendations on making our purchases in a more environmentally friendly way.
Some of these ingredients are hard to find in a typical grocery store.
If you don't live near an Asian market, most or all of what my dad uses in this recipe can be found on Amazon:
These links are affiliate links, which means that if you use our links to purchase these ingredients, Amazon pays my family a small amount for the sale - at no extra cost to you. If you use these links, we really appreciate the support!
We'll cut our fish fillets (7 oz) into 6-7 sections.
Then, cut each section into 1-1.5 inch strips. Cutting with the grain will help the fish stay together when cooking, while cutting against the grain will result in more fragile pieces that may fall apart. It's up to you which what you'd like to cut.
We'll place the fish into a bowl and season the fish with white pepper (0.25 tsp), cornstarch (1 tsp), and salt (0.25 tsp). Mix it evenly with chopsticks until the flavors are distributed around the fish.
Next, we'll chop our green onions (2 piece) into small pieces.
Then, we'll crack our eggs (5 ) into a bowl, add salt (0.50 tsp) and white pepper (0.25 tsp), and beat the eggs with chopsticks/fork.
We'll set our stove to high heat and pour boiling water into the pan.
Add the fish to the pan. We'll let the fish cook for about 1.5 to 2 minutes, gently moving the fish around as we go.
Using boiling water allows the cornstarch to trap the fish's juices inside, resulting in a more tender bite.
Once the fish has turned into more of a white color, we'll drain the pan into a colander.
Dry off the pan with a paper towel.
Next, we'll be heating up our pan for about 2-3 minutes on high heat.
Once hot enough, we'll add oil (1 tbsp) to the pan. Tilt and turn the pan to spread the oil around.
A good sign that both our pan and oil are hot enough is if the oil starts shimmering, or forming ripples across the surface.
Turn the stove down to medium heat.
We'll start pouring SOME of the egg mixture into the pan. (Not all). The eggs should immediately sizzle after being poured into the pan. Let it rest and cook for about 15-30 seconds before adding the fish.
Once the egg has partially cooked, we'll add our fish on top of the egg and distribute the fish around the pan.
Combine the green onions with the rest of the egg mixture, beat the eggs a few times, and then pour the rest of the mixture into the pan.
Like with most omelettes, notice that my dad is barely stirring or touching the eggs. Occasionally, we'll dig our spatula between the pan and egg to prevent the egg from sticking to the pan.
Halfway through, we'll also want to add oil (0.50 tbsp) to the perimeter of the omelette to seep down between the pan and eggs, and so that the eggs continue to form a nice golden brown exterior.
In total, after pouring the rest of the eggs into pan, let it cook on this side for about 3-4 minutes before flipping. A good visual cue is for the eggs to show nice golden brown.
To flip the omelette, we'll carefully transfer the omelette onto a large plate. Add oil (0.50 tbsp) to the pan. Then, in a quick motion, we'll flip the omelette upside down back onto the pan.
This is easier to do if you have fewer eggs and fillings.
While it cooks, you can add a touch more oil around the perimeter to help the egg separate from the pan and brown.
In total, after flipping, we'll be cooking the omelette on this side for about 3-5 minutes until the bottom has turned a nice golden brown.
We'll occasionally press the omelette into the pan with the bottom of our spatula to help any bumps and crevices make contact with the pan.
To transfer the omelette onto a plate, we'll be using gravity.
Cover the pan with a plate, and then flip the pan upside down onto the plate. The egg should fall nicely onto the plate, which we can then cut up and serve to our loved ones.
Main Ingredients
most fish work - we're using swai fish here
)Seasoning for Eggs
Seasoning for Fish
Cut the fish fillets (7 oz) along the grain into 6-7 sections (perpendicular to the spine).
Then, cut each section into 1-1.5 inch strips.
Place the fish into a bowl and season the fish with white pepper (0.25 tsp), cornstarch (1 tsp), and salt (0.25 tsp). Mix it evenly with chopsticks until the flavors are distributed around the fish.
Next, chop the green onions (2 piece) into small pieces.
Then, crack the eggs (5 ) into a bowl, add salt (0.50 tsp) and white pepper (0.25 tsp), and beat the eggs with chopsticks/fork.
Set the stove to high heat and pour boiling water into the pan.
Add the fish to the pan. Let the fish cook for about 1.5 to 2 minutes, gently moving the fish around.
Once the fish has turned white, drain the pan into a colander.
Dry off the pan with a paper towel.
Next, heat up the pan for about 2-3 minutes on high heat.
Once hot enough, add oil (1 tbsp) to the pan. Tilt and turn the pan to spread the oil around
Turn the stove down to medium, and start pouring half of the egg mixture into the pan.
Let it cook undisturbed for about 15-30 seconds before adding the fish.
Once the egg has partially cooked, add the fish on top of the egg and distribute the fish around the pan.
Combine the green onions with the rest of the egg mixture, beat the eggs a few times, and then pour the rest of the mixture into the pan.
Aside from occasionally shifting the whole omelette to prevent sticking, don't stir the omelette.
Halfway through, add oil (0.50 tbsp) to the perimeter of the omelette to seep down between the pan and eggs, and so that the eggs continue to form a nice golden brown exterior.
In total, after pouring the rest of the eggs into pan, let it cook on this side for about 3-4 minutes, or until gold brown, before flipping.
To flip the omelette, carefully transfer the omelette onto a large plate. Add oil (0.50 tbsp) to the pan. Then, in a quick motion, flip the omelette upside down back onto the pan.
While it cooks, you can add a touch more oil around the perimeter.
Cook this side of the omelette for about 3-5 minutes until the bottom has turned a nice golden brown.
Occasionally press the omelette into the pan with the bottom of our spatula to help any bumps and crevices make contact with the pan.
Cover the pan with a plate, and then flip the pan upside down onto the plate. The egg should fall nicely onto the plate, which you can then cut up and serve to your loved ones.
I have so many memories of eating this dish growing up.
Now, hopefully, you can create your own memories with this dish with your loved ones.
Also, I cordially invite you to eat with us and learn more about the dish, Chinese culture, and hang out with our adorable son. We get into a lot of detail about how to best cook this dish, differences in cooking methods, and more!
Cheers, and thanks for cooking with us!
Feel free to comment below if you have any questions about the recipe.