Taiwanese Oyster Omelet Recipe (O Ah Jian 蚵仔煎)

Taiwanese Oyster Omelet is one of the most popular dishes you can find here in the country of Taiwan. It is soft and tender with a meaty seafood taste that will absolutely have your tongue dancing around. And in this recipe, I will show you how to make this dish in the most authentic way possible.

Taiwanese Oyster Omelet / O Ah Jian / 蚵仔煎 is one of my most favorite things to eat.

I first encountered this amazing dish when I was traveling around Taiwan with my parents. My mom who is Taiwanese told me that one of the most popular dishes here in this country is something called an “Oyster Omelet.”

I knew immediately that this was something I had to try. Mainly because I love all types of different seafood.

So we found this one shop at a night market serving this special dish.

It was love at first sight.

Each and every bite that I took was so amazing. The eggs were nice and fluffy while the oyster was really soft and tender. The combination was simply amazing. I knew I had to learn how to make it.

Fortunately for me, I had family that worked at the night markets so they are friends with many of the shop vendors here in the area. So learning how to make this omelet was a relatively simple matter.

And in this post I want to share with you all exactly how to make this oyster omelet. I want you all to experience this great delicacy for yourselves and fall in love with it just as much as I have.

What Is Taiwanese Oyster Omelet?

If you never had a Taiwanese Oyster Omelet / O Ah Jian / 蚵仔煎 before, then you are totally missing out!

This Taiwanese delicacy is a specialty of the country of Taiwan.

Because as you know, the country is surrounded by ocean water at all sides. Which means you can find all different types of seafood for you to catch and eat.

One of them being oysters.

Oysters are extremely abundant here in this country and you can find them all over the place.

Because of this, there are many dishes that incorporate the use of oysters in them. One of which is the popular “Taiwanese Oyster Omelet”.

Taiwanese Oyster Omelete is basically an omelet that is cooked with oysters, vegetables, and doused in a sweet and sour sauce.

The omelet is extremely soft and fluffy while the oysters are also very soft and tender. Mixed that with some crunch of the green vegetables and the sweet and sour taste from the sauce. And you will have one of the best dishes you ever tasted.

It is a favorite among all the locals and tourists a like.

What Type Of Oysters Do You Use?

To be honest, you can use any type of oysters you want.

They all work the same and will taste equally as delicious.

The only factor you should consider is the size of the oysters. If you want a meatier dish, then you could pick oysters that are large for you to use. Or if you just want the taste of seafood and don’t really care much about the oysters, you can use small ones too.

The choice is totally yours.

In my opinion however, I think the bigger the oyster, the better the dish will turn out. This is because there will be much more of the oyster for you to eat, which will definitely a treat.

Ingredients To Make Taiwanese Oyster Omelet

The ingredients you’ll need to make a Taiwanese Oyster Omelet / O Ah Jian / 蚵仔煎 are all pretty easy to find. In fact, most of the ingredients or all of the ingredients can be found at your local supermarket.

To make the oyster omelet, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Eggs – 4 Large Eggs
• Oysters – 8 Oysters
• Vegetable Oil – 1 to 2 Tablespoons
• Sweet Potato Starch – 1 Tablespoon
• Cold Water – 1/2 Cup
• Baby Bok Choy Or Other Mild-tasting Leafy Greens – 1 Small Head
• Scallions – 1 Whole Scallion
• Hai Shan Sauce – Optional (Click for recipe)

And that’s basically all you’ll need to make this wonderful dish!

How To Make Taiwanese Oyster Omelet

Making the Taiwanese Oyster Omelet / O Ah Jian / 蚵仔煎 is a relatively simple thing to do.

The process to make this dish is as followed:

First, you need to prep your oysters.

If they are already pre-shucked then you can simply set it aside for now. If they are not shucked however, you will have to shuck them yourself.

Shucking an oyster is a pretty simple thing to do. Here is a quick guide on how to shuck an oyster.

Now that you have your oysters all ready, its time to prep the eggs.

Grab a small bowl and crack 4 large eggs into it. Add some salt and white pepper into the egg mixture and stir things around. Then set it aside.

Now grab your baby bok choy or any other mild-tasting leafy greens and chop them into thin slices. Then set it aside.

Grab your scallion/green onion and chop it into tiny pieces, then set it aside.

Now it’s time to make the omelet.

Pour 1 tablespoon of oil into a skillet over high heat.

Once the oil is hot enough, you’ll want to add in half of the oysters into the pan. That should be 4 oysters if you are using 8 total.

(I cut my oysters up, but that is totally optional)

Let the oysters cook until they appear slightly firm. This should take about 1 minute.

While your oysters are cooking, you’ll want to grab another small bowl and fill it with the cold water and sweet potato starch. Make sure to stir things around.

Then pour half of the potato starch mixture into the skillet with the oysters. Let the mixture bubble around for a few seconds.

After the mixture starts bubbling, you’ll want to take your egg mixture and pour in half of the mixture into the skillet.

Let the egg mixture bubble for a few seconds while making sure to scrape the running edges towards the center to for a rounder, neater shape that is about 5 to 6 inches in diameter.

Place your chopped baby bok choy and scallions on top of the omelet.

Take a peek at the underside of the omelet by lifting it up a little with a spatula. While you are doing that, make sure to loosen the edges all around. Once the underside is lightly browned and the edges are loose, carefully flip the entire omelet over.

After you had flipped it over, you’ll want to cook on the opposite side of the omelet until the bottom is lightly browned. This should take about a minute or so.

Flip the omelet over again when it is done cooking and serve it on a plate.

Drizzle the top of the omelet with some Hai Shan Sauce and serve immediately.

Repeat the process with the other half of the ingredients until you have made both omelets.

How To Keep/Store It For Later

Storing this Taiwanese Oyster Omelet / O Ah Jian / 蚵仔煎 is a relatively simple thing to do.

However there is something you should know beforehand.

For instance, once cooked, this oyster omelet should not sit out in room temperature for more than 2 to 3 hours. I would suggest if you are not going to finish it, to immediately put it in an air-tight container or wrap it with plastic wrap and store it into the fridge.

This oyster omelet should keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days.

As for freezing, I would not suggest you to freeze this omelet. Mainly because once frozen, the oysters will turn rock hard. And when thawed, the oysters will become insanely hard and rubbery.

So do not freeze this dish if possible.

Did you try making my Taiwanese Oyster Omelet / O Ah Jian / 蚵仔煎? If so, how were they? I would love to hear all about it down in the comment section below or you can connect with my on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.

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