Puffy Whitebait Omelette

This omelet is a special treat.

Ingredients

• 100g whitebait
• 1 tablespoon flour
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 fresh organic eggs
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped lemon thyme
• 2 tablespoons lightly flavoured olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Lemon to serve

Method

First, cook the whitebait:

Toss the whitebait in a bowl with the flour and a little salt and pepper. Heat a large frying pan, and add a little of the oil and butter. When it is really hot, drop the whitebait in and toss until the fish become opaque and just a little crisp. Remove to a small warmed plate, and cover while you make the omelet.

To make the omelet:

Separate the two eggs. Beat the yolks well with the thyme and some salt and pepper. Whisk the egg whites until very soft peaks form, and fold them into the egg mixture. Heat the frying pan the whitebait was cooked in, adding extra oil and butter if needed. Tip the mixture into the pan when the butter is really foaming. With a fork, move the mixture around the pan so it cooks evenly. When it is almost cooked through, slide out onto a warmed serving plate, tip the cooked whitebait into the middle of the omelet, and fold or roll up. Serve at once with lemon wedges.