Give Your Omelet A Huge Umami Boost With A Dash Of This Pungent Sauce

Once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy to make a perfect omelet any day of the week. It's one of the most popular breakfast foods in America, and who among us hasn't stood in an omelet line for brunch at some point? The only drawback to omelets — if there really is one — is getting stuck in an ordinary egg rut. If you're feeling a little uninspired with the same old eggs every morning, there's an easy solution: Grab a bottle of fish sauce from the fridge.

Fish sauce and eggs might sound kind of weird to some Americans, but the two frequently go hand in hand in Thai and Vietnamese cuisines. You probably already have some hanging around in your refrigerator for a stir fry or pad Thai, so you already know how this pungent ingredient packs a huge boost of umami flavor into a single dash. It works the same way for eggs, and all you need is just a tiny bit to make the most memorable, savory omelet your family has ever tasted.

If you don't already know about this condiment, here's a quick primer. Fish sauce is, indeed, made from actual fish, typically anchovies, which are heavily salted and then packed together in a container and aged for nine to 12 months until they start to break down and become liquified. That liquid is eventually collected and bottled and is chock full of umami flavor thanks to natural glutamates, much like other fermented foods such as miso, soy sauce, and hard cheese.

If you're all-in on fish sauce in an omelet, the only rule of thumb is to add it before you do any actual cooking so that the flavor melds with the eggs. An omelet comes together in just a few short minutes, and there's not a lot of time to go searching around for fish sauce, so just splash a dash into the bowl when you're whisking the eggs. The only drawback here is that you can't taste the eggs until they're cooked, so don't overdo it until you make an omelet or two and get to know how things are going to taste. Think of fish sauce as like adding salt: You can always add more, but you can never take it away once it's there.

A dash of fish sauce is maybe the easiest way to give an everyday omelet a little oomph, even if your only other ingredients are cheese and breakfast meat. But where's the fun in that? There are plenty of other flavors you can add to make your omelet a little more interesting since you're already adding fish sauce.

One of the most common ingredients in eggs with fish sauce in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine is thinly sliced scallions. You can make an easy Thai-style omelet known as Kai Jeow in less than five minutes by simply adding a dash of fish sauce and a handful of scallions when you're whisking the eggs. A splash of sesame oil in the pan and a bit of soy sauce are nice touches if you have them handy, but not necessary. If you don't have scallions, try adding chives or thinly sliced shallots for a similar oniony effect.

Fish sauce will also work with dairy ingredients like parmesan cheese, crème fraîche, and heavy cream if you prefer a French-style omelet, and since you're already adding a fishy element to the mix try folding some smoked salmon or trout to the pan for a more substantial, dinner-sized meal. Experiment and find what tastes good to you. Once you get the hang of adding fish sauce to omelets, you'll always reach for this secret weapon when it's time to crack a few eggs.