O is for: Omelette with Crab and Mock Hollandaise Sauce

As evident by my crab stuffed mushrooms and my order at NOPA the other night, I’m a sucker for anything with Dungeness crab right now.

When I was trying to brainstorm what would be on the menu for “O” week, I decided it was time I added to the breakfast section of my recipes page as it was looking a little lean. A plain old omelette (or omelet) isn’t terribly exciting, but add in some fresh crab and top it with hollandaise sauce, and now you’ve got my attention.

As you know, I’m trying to eat healthy these days, so I found a great “mock hollandaise” sauce from Cooking Light. I’m not going to lie and tell you it’s as good as the real deal, but it was surprisingly delicious and was half the fat and calories. (Only 2 grams of fat per tablespoon). If you like hollandaise sauce but watching your waistline, I definitely recommend trying this version. It would also be good on eggs benedict or steamed veggies! Mmmmmmm.

Generally, most Hollandaise recipes call for 1/2 cup of butter and four egg yolks. That’s a lot of fat and calories (which is why it tastes so good). This particular one only uses 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 egg yolk. The rest is made up for with lowfat buttermilk and thickened with cornstarch. Melt the butter and cook about 30 seconds until golden, and then pour into a small bowl and set aside.

Whisk together buttermilk, cornstarch, salt, and cayenne in a small saucepan. Set the pan over medium-low heat and cook the sauce, whisking constantly, until it comes to a simmer. Cook, whisking, for 15 seconds. Whisk in lemon juice, Dijon mustard, egg yolk and the reserved butter. Cook on low heat until desired consistency (slightly thickened), continuing to whisk the sauce. Serve hot or warm.

Mmmmmmm. Crab. If you really want a crab-packed omelette, use about 3-4 ounces per omelette. I like to squeeze a half of a lemon over my crab before adding it to the omelette.

Now for the actual cooking of the eggs. I think everyone has a different opinion on this, but I like a very thin omelette that’s not rubbery or overcooked. It comes out tasting almost silky and creamy, but it’s completely cooked and is good even plain or with a little cheese. To do this, you need a non-stick pan. Either swirl a little butter or oil in the bottom, or spray with cooking spray. Once pan is warm, pour in the eggs. After a few seconds, give it a good swirl or lift up edges with a spatula so some of the runny egg on top can run underneath.

The entire thing should only take about five minutes to cook and you shouldn’t have to flip it over. When eggs are almost done, put crab on half of the omelette so it can get warm. Once eggs are cooked, gently fold the omelette in half.

Slide the omelette onto a plate, top with a tablespoon or so of the sauce, and sprinkle with parsley.

Nutrition