Lukang Oyster Omelet 鹿港蚵仔煎

Lukang Oyster Omelet (鹿港蚵仔煎) is the oyster omelette as sold in Lukang (鹿港) in Changhua County (彰化县): fresh oysters, starch and egg fried together and eaten with a sauce. Changhua County's tourism site, drawing on the Lukang township office, lists it among the snacks Lukang is never without, served at eateries such as one beside Lukang Mazu Temple (鹿港天后宫).

How it is made

In the Taiwanese method, oysters, beaten egg and greens such as garland chrysanthemum, spinach, lettuce or bean sprouts go into hot oil in a flat pan, and a batter of sweet-potato or potato starch is poured over them. When the oysters are cooked the omelette is lifted out and a sauce is poured straight over the top. On Taiwan island the starch goes in late as a batter, whereas in southern Fujian (闽南) and Kinmen (金门) it is mixed with the oysters at the start.

How it is eaten

The sauce ranges from thick soy sauce and ketchup to sweet chilli sauce and bean paste, and many shops blend their own. In Lukang it is listed with the town's other staple snacks, including oyster fritters (蚵嗲), crisp-fried xiahou shrimp (虾猴) and shrimp-ball soup.

Where it comes from

The oyster omelette is believed to come from Fujian; one story ties it to the sweet potato, brought to Fujian from Manila in the late 16th century and used with local oysters during a drought in 1594. In Taiwan it is called ô-á-chian and usually named in Taiwanese Hokkien. The Changhua tourism site describes Temple Front No. 1 (庙口第一家), beside the Mazu temple, as a third-generation seafood eatery serving it.