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Shrimp Omelet
Beat up the yolks of two eggs with one dessertspoonful each of finely-chopped onion and flour, a small quantity of mixed herbs, and a seasoning of pepper, then mix in by degrees one teacupful of milk. Beat to a stiff froth the whites of two eggs. Have ready shelled one-half pint of shrimps, turn them into a shallow baking-dish and place them in the oven for a minute or two to warm. Add the frothed white of an egg quickly to the batter, beat it lightly and pour it over the shrimps. Bake for twenty minutes, and serve hot.
Despite the name, this is not a folded omelet but a thin batter poured over shrimp and baked — closer to a savory Yorkshire pudding or clafoutis than to anything made in a skillet. The batter is loose, so the finished dish sets soft and custardy rather than puffing high.
- MeasuresA dessertspoonful is 2 teaspoons. A teacupful is not a fixed measure; in books of this period it is usually reckoned at somewhere between a half and three-quarters of a modern cup, not the full 8-ounce measuring cup.
- Half a pint of shrimpsShrimp were commonly measured by volume; half a pint of small shelled shrimp comes to roughly 5 to 6 ounces, rather more before shelling. Modern small or medium peeled shrimp work directly.
- Oven heatNo temperature is given. A moderate oven, 350F, suits a 20-minute bake in a shallow dish; hotter and the egg batter will curdle at the edges before the center sets.
- The whitesThe text says to beat the whites of two eggs, then to add "the frothed white of an egg." Fold in both — two yolks and two whites keep the proportion sensible against 3/4 cup of milk.
- Fold, do not beat"Beat it lightly" after adding the whites means a few folding strokes only. The batter is thin enough that overworking collapses the froth and you lose what little lift there is.
- SaltOnly pepper is specified. Salt the batter; unseasoned egg and milk over shrimp tastes flat.
- Raw flour and onionFinely chopped raw onion stirred into batter can stay a little sharp. Sweating it in a little butter first gives a milder result, and cooking the flour with the onion helps avoid pasty streaks.
- Shrimp timingThe shrimp are warmed in the dish only briefly before the batter goes on, but they still sit through the full twenty-minute bake. Already-cooked shrimp will firm up over that time.
- Dish and yieldA shallow 8-inch baking dish or pie plate is about right. Serves two as a light main course, or four as a first course.
Oscar Tschirky's book, published in 1896, was a large compilation assembled by the Waldorf's maitre d'hotel, and its "omelet" chapter is broader than the word suggests: it covers folded omelets, flat Spanish-style ones, and baked batters like this. The batter-over-filling approach descends from English puddings like toad-in-the-hole, and it is a dish of expensive shellfish stretched to serve several. Shrimp could be had canned and potted as well as fresh, and either would have suited a dish where the shellfish are simply warmed and covered over.