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    Home » Recipes » Dairy-Free

    Updated: Apr 24, 2023 by Marc Matsumoto · 1 Comment

    Crab Omelette (Kanitama)

    With big fluffy curds of tender scrambled egg and loads of briny crab meat, this flavorful Crab Omelette or Kanitama makes for a protein-packed side, and it can be served atop a bowl of rice for a tasty lunch.
    Recipe Video Pin
    This fluffy Japanese crab and egg omelette, or kanitama is loaded with crab meat and loosely bound together with egg. Topped with a savory gravy, this easy protein-packed entre goes great with a bowl of rice or noodles.

    Crab Omelette (カニ玉 - Kanitama)

    Many Asian countries have some versions of the crab omelette and while the ingredients may be similar, how they’re combined and cooked creates a totally different dish. In Japan, crab omelettes are known as Kanitama (かに玉 - literally “crab egg”), and it’s usually topped with a thick sauce that can either be savory or sweet and sour. 

    I sauté some scallions for my version, which adds a mild sweetness that compliments the briny crab. The crab and egg get gently cooked together to form large tender curds before being topped off with an umami-packed sauce made with dashi. A sprinkle of mitsuba and a swipe of yuzu zest gives this a fresh brightness that balances out the rich crab and egg.

    Table of contents

    • Crab Omelette (カニ玉 - Kanitama)
    • Why This Recipe Works?
    • Ingredients for Crab Omelette
    • How to Make Crab Omelette
    • Other Egg Recipes
    • FAQ

    Why This Recipe Works?

    • Sauteeing scallion stems before adding the crab and egg adds a natural sweetness to the omelette that enhances the crab's sweetness.
    • Letting the egg set a little before gently stirring them allows for bigger, more fluffy curds to form. 
    • The sauce not only seasons the omelette but also has a thick viscous texture like soft scrambled eggs, which helps it blend in. 
    • Adding fresh garnishes like yuzu and mitsuba lends brightness to the rich omelette.
    Kanitama is a simple Japanese crab and egg omelet that's sauced with a savory gravy.

    Ingredients for Crab Omelette

    • Egg - There's nothing special here, but if you're wondering why my yolks are so orange, it's because the chicken they came from were fed a diet high in beta-carotene. It doesn't affect the taste, but I think the color makes the omelette look more appetizing. 
    • Crab - I've used real lump crab meat for this, but if you're trying to stay on a budget, imitation crab will work. 
    • Scallions - I like using just the white part of the scallions for the omelette as they are sweeter and more tender. I've used a Tokyo Negi, which is huge, but you'll want to use a few stems if you're using regular scallions. 
    • Dashi - This is a traditional Japanese soup stock usually made with a combination of kelp and katsuobushi (dried, smoked, and fermented skipjack tuna). I have a recipe for making dashi from scratch you can check out. You can also cheat and make it from dashi packs or powdered dashi. You can make it with other stocks, but your sauce won't have the "Japanese" taste without it. 
    • Mirin - I've spent years recommending the use of sake and sugar instead of mirin because it's been tough to find brewed mirin outside of Japan (many are just a mixture of alcohol, corn syrup, and MSG). It's come to my attention that brewed mirin has become easier to find. If you can't find a good one, you can use a 50:50 mixture of sugar and sake, or better yet, a 50:50 mixture of sugar and Shaoxing rice wine (I know this is Chinese, but it has a closer taste to mirin than sake).  
    • Soy sauce - I used regular Kikkoman soy sauce here. It adds umami and salt to the sauce. 
    • Potato starch - The sauce needs to be thickened so that it enrobes the egg. I like using potato starch for this because it thickens clear, and it does not get cloying or gummy, even after it's cooled. 
    • Garnish - I like to garnish my crab omelette with some mitsuba leaves and yuzu zest. Mitsuba is in the same family as carrots and celery and has a taste that's somewhere between the two. It can be a little hard to find unless you have a Japanese market nearby, so you can use the leftover scallion greens from the omelette or use another herb like chives or chervil. As for the yuzu, I know this can be another hard one to find, but Meyer lemon (or even regular lemon) zest makes for a great substitute. 

    How to Make Crab Omelette

    Before you start on the omelette, you first want to mix the dashi, mirin soy sauce, and potato starch together in a small bowl, so it's ready to go when the omelette is done. 

    Then you'll want to heat a small omelette pan (I used an 8-inch one) over medium heat and saute the minced scallion stems until they're translucent and cooked through but not yet browned. 

    Add the crab to the scallions and cook them for about a minute. The crab is already cooked, so you just need to heat it up. 

    Pour the beaten eggs over the crab and let this cook without stirring it for about twenty seconds. This allows some of the egg to set at the bottom of the pan, giving you nice large curds. 

    Then you can stir the eggs and crab gently to dredge up the curds and allow some of the liquid egg to flow to the bottom of the pan. You want to keep doing this until the egg is no longer runny, but stop before the egg is fully cooked, or your crab omelette won't stick together. 

    Now you want to let this cook until the eggs are done to your liking. I usually like them on the softer side, so I'll pull the pan off the heat as soon as the egg forms a single mass, but you can leave it on the heat longer to cook the egg through all the way. 

    Slide the omelette out onto a plate and then wipe out the pan and return it to the stove over high heat. 

    Stir the sauce ingredients to make sure no starch has settled at the bottom and pour it into the pan. Keep stirring the sauce until it comes to a boil and has fully thickened. 

    Drizzle the sauce all over the Crab Omelette and garnish with herbs and citrus zest. 

    Briny crab meat is held together with a little egg in this mouthwatering Japanese omelet. Topped with dashi broth gravy and a little yuzu zest, it goes great with a bowl of rice or noodles.

    Other Egg Recipes

    • Ramen Egg
    • Tamagoyaki (Japanese Rolled Omelette)
    • Japanese Egg Sandwich
    • Chawanmushi

    FAQ

    What is a Japanese Crab Omelette?

    Known as Kanitama (カニ玉) in Japan, Crab Omelette fits within the Wafu-chuka (Japanese-style Chinese) repertoire along with ramen, gyoza, and karaage. It's usually made by scrambling crab meat with eggs and some aromatics, then topping it with a starch thickened sauce. I've gone with a Japanese dashi-based sauce in this version, but it is also sometimes made with a sweet soy sauce and vinegar sauce.

    How do you say Crab Omelette in Japanese?

    The Japanese name for Crab Omelette is Kanitama, which literally means "Crab Egg." It's a four-syllable word and is pronounced as follows:
    ka like copy
    ni like knee
    ta like tarp
    ma like mall

    Can I make Kanitama with imitation crab?

    Yes, most Japanese people make it with imitation crab, or kanikama because real crab meat can be costly here. I ended up using about $15 USD worth of crab to make this. That being said, I know lump crab meat in other countries can be cheaper, and I prefer the taste of real crab, so that's why I use it in this recipe.

    How do you serve Japanese Crab Omelette?

    It can be served on its own or as a side dish, but one popular way to eat it is to put it on top of a bowl of rice to make a dish called Tenshindon (天津丼).

    📖 Recipe

    Japanese crab omelette blanketed in a savory gravy made from dashi stock and garnished with mitsuba leaves.

    Crab Omelette (Kanitama)

    By: Marc Matsumoto
    4.67 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Discuss
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 5 minutes mins
    Total Time 10 minutes mins
    Yield 2 servings

    Units

    Ingredients 

    For sauce

    • ½ cup dashi
    • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon mirin
    • 1 teaspoon potato starch

    For omelette

    • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
    • 40 grams scallion stems (minced)
    • 5 eggs (beaten)
    • 220 grams lump crab meat

    For garnish

    • Mitsuba (roughly chopped)
    • Yuzu (zested)

    Instructions

    • Mix the dashi, mirin, soy sauce, and potato starch in a small bowl until the starch has dissolved and set it aside.
      Sauce ingredients for Kanitama being mixed together in a glass bowl.
    • Heat an 8-inch omelette pan over medium and add the oil and minced scallion stems. Saute these until they are translucent and cooked through (about 2 minutes).
      Satueeing scallions for crab omelette.
    • Add the crab and continue sauteeing until the crab is hot (about another minute).
      Crab meat and scallions being sauteed.
    • Add the beaten egg and let it cook undisturbed for about 20-30 seconds. Give the egg a gentle stir to break up the cooked egg at the bottom of the pan into big curds.
      Crab meat and egg omelette in a frying pan.
    • Keep stirring it periodically until the egg is no longer runny, but it's still wet. Stop stirring and let the egg continue cooking until it's your desired doneness, and transfer the crab omelette to a plate.
      Kanitama or crab and egg omelette.
    • Wipe out any bits of egg in the pan and return it to the stove. Give the sauce ingredients another stir and pour the mixture into the pan.
      Kanitama sauce being stirred.
    • Turn up the heat to high to bring it to a boil while stirring it constantly. The sauce is done when it has thickened.
      Thickened sauce for crab omelette.
    • Pour the sauce over the Kanitama and garnish with mitsuba and yuzu zest.
      Sauce poured over Japanese crab omelette.
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    Nutrition

    Calories 320kcalCarbohydrates 7gProtein 36gFat 16gSaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 455mgSodium 1674mgPotassium 484mgFiber 1gSugar 3gVitamin A 820IUVitamin C 11mgCalcium 145mgIron 3mg

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Omlet says

      February 03, 2021 at 11:16 pm

      This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it. Pinning it now!

      Reply

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