Ingredient: Shirasu

Shirasu is possibly one of the smallest fish you could buy in the market. They are baby sardine that are usually around 1-2 months old. A lot of times you could find the dried/fried version of them in the snacks section of a larger Asian or Japanese market. (Japanese often have dried seafood to go with their sake.) I found a package of these in the nearby 99 Ranch Market in Daly City. They're quite expensive, $19.99 for a pound. But I was reminded of eating them when I was little. At least I think they're what I had when I was little. In Chinese, we called them "white rice fish", I'm assuming because the size and color of them resembles a grain of rice. Where's my mom when I needed her? The other mystery is how they manage to catch these tiny fishes since these are supposedly wild...

My grandmother used to mix the fish with eggs and a little vegetables to make omelettes out of them and simply pour a little oyster sauce over them.
Shirasu Omelette
1/8 - 1/6 lb of shirasu
1 sprig of green onion, sliced thinly
1/8 cup shredded carrots (optional)
2 eggs
white pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp salt

Beat eggs until combined. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Divide the mixture into about 1/4 cup each and cook over medium heat in a non-stick pan until the firm enough to flip. Cook the other side for about 1 minute more. Repeat with the other two portions. I ate this with a bowl of noodle soup (homemade!). It's also very good with sweet chili sauce.