A nicely fried egg with crispy edges and a warm, runny yolk is one of life's greatest simple pleasures. We realized long ago that fried eggs are just as delicious after 9am as they are before, and we've been sliding them onto our plates to round out a quick meal ever since. Here are a few of our favorite combos:
A fried egg is our trick for turning an otherwise ho-hum meal into a great one. If we're low on fixings and need to make a full meal out of just a few spare ingredients, a fried egg is one of the first things we think of adding.
1. Over Green Salad: Not only does this make a striking presentation, but once you cut into it, the yolk becomes an instant salad dressing. We love the contrast of cool, crunchy greens with warm, tender egg.
2. Over Noodles or Other Grains: This is comfort food at its best. The yolk makes a creamy sauce that coats every noodle or grain in the dish. This is great with a handful of veggies (cooked or raw), or simply on its own. Try this recipe for Sesame-Garlic Soba Noodles with Fried Egg!
3. On Pizza: All you have to do is crack a few eggs onto the top of the pizza just before it goes in the oven. By the time the crust is golden, white of the egg will be set and the centers still soft. You might have to eat this one with a knife and fork!
4. On Kale or Other Hearty Green: Bitter greens and rich egg are one of those perfect flavor combinations that has to be tasted to be believed. We especially like this with pinch of red pepper flakes or a few shakes of Tabasco sauce!
5. On Toast: Ok, this one is pretty basic, we know. But if we're desperate for dinner and nothing else comes to us, a fried egg on toast never fails to satisfy. We like it just like that, but we'll also add baked beans, a few slices of tomato, or a sprinkle of cheese if we have those around.
Where else do you use fried eggs in your cooking?
Related: Good Idea: Make a "Stuff I Like to Eat" List
(Image: Flickr member blmurch licensed under Creative Commons, and Emma Christensen and Faith Durand for the Kitchn)
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I put a soft yolk fried egg on almost everything I eat. Especially in the summer (not sure why so much then.)
My favorite things to put it on?
Brown rice and refried pinto beans.
and
Quinoa with swiss chard
Yum...
I love a fried egg in any shape or form. I've been dying to make a breakfast pizza ever since I saw the post and photo above from a few months ago.
Huevos Monteleños! Fried eggs & beans can't be beat. Slap it on top of a homemade tortilla & you've really got something. Here's my favorite recipe: http://www.clovesandcream.com/2009/06/huevos-montelenos-with-homemade.html
Over medium, no crispy edges, please. And I think I'd cry if I had to eat one on pizza.
I do think they make a lovely supper, though.
I know this isn't about fried eggs, but I'm a huge fan of poaching eggs in tomato sauce. I make a basic tomato sauce in my cast iron frying pan and crack a few eggs in there. I put a lid on the pan and wait for the eggs to cook. It's especially fabulous sprinkled with smoked paprika.
White all the way done, yolk hot and oozy -- NO crispy edges. mmmm.
Fried eggs with spaghetti is a favorite treat of mine and a very fast & satisfying dinner.
http://theripetomato.wordpress.com/2009/01/05/another-fast-dinner-option-and-a-personal-favorite/
Also love them on rice bowls/quinoa bowls as other folks have suggested, or nestled into some hot corned beef has some cheese.
Enchiladas... a la New Mexico. Enchiladas are served stacked not rolled. (very easy to do at home) Yes, the ubiquitous question is red or green? (salsa) ... but there is another query... would you like chopped onion and an egg on top? (say yes to both)
Yeah, a fried egg (no crispy edges, please!) over pasta is amazingly comforting.
I also like them over braised cabbage or rice and I've been frying up two eggs (broken yolks for neatness and portability) and wrapping them in a tortilla with Dubliner cheese for breakfast. It's so good that I've seriously concidered eating it for dinner, too!
Tortilla spread with beans, pizza sauce, cheese, topped with egg baked on a pizza stone.
Leftover casserole of any type heated and topped with egg.
Ooh, fried egg right on my sandwich- any sandwich will do. Also love it on top of plain white rice w/ Worcester sauce, fish sauce, and Maggi sauce.
Also unrelated, but eggs in ramen noodles are awesome.
Best impromptu meal I ever had was a fried egg on top of Mark Bittman's roasted brussels sprouts .
Any vegetable. Any grain. Anything, really. Fried eggs ftw!
I'm so hungry right now.
http://www.abreadaday.com
I've been on a fried egg sandwich kick lately, and my fave one is a fried egg with fresh basil leaves, tomato slices, butter and salt & pepper on toasted french bread.
On burgers
Over a waffle
with french fries, washed down with some beer! So delicious...
also I particularly like mine over some wild arugula.
1/4 lb burger with swiss cheese inside, topped with a fried and crispy egg, 2 slices of bacon, minced jalapenos scattered on top, last minute spread of peanut butter, ... piled on a toasted sourdough bun.
My friends call it the goober burger.
"Egg Lace"---in my family, that's what we call the delicate crispy edges of fried eggs, and we all liked it.
We also make a fake egg foo yung by putting a spoonful of chopped green onions, garlic, and sliced water chestnuts into a dollop of hot oil, then crack an egg over the top. Plop the whole thing on some rice (a good reason to keep cooked rice in the freezer) and pass the soy sauce.
definitely over a tamale warmed in a cast iron pan!
I like to eat it Portuguese style steak and fries. Essentially, you make some fries (or roast potatoes), and then a quick-fry steak over top of the fries with the steak juices as gravy, then a fried egg on top and a splash of salt, pepper and paprika, and even hot sauce for some!
http://www.recipezaar.com/Portuguese-Steak-243729
I'm trying to picture my kids faces if I served them that pizza. ROTFLMAO.
I love fried egg over ramen noodles or rice (bibimbap...mmmm).
Yes, burrda2000! (Green, please.) Always, always a fried egg on my enchilladas. And, like lillies, I love poached eggs in tomato sauce, over toast. I swear I eat it three times a week.
When I was living in France, one of my favorite things was a croque madame: a ham-and-cheese sandwich with a fried egg on top. Also, any time I have leftover roasted potatoes, I usually eat them with a fried egg on top.
Really, there are few foods that aren't made better with a fried egg.
Fried egg over sauteed greens over cheesy grits. mmmm mmm.
Fried egg over top garlicky cannelini beans and kale or spinach. A sprinkle of grated parmesan and some red chili flakes. On the table in less than 10!
One of my favorite dishes is leftover rice (brown rice is the best) sauteed with extra firm tofu, onion, greens (chard or whatever is around) and lots of garlic. Sometimes I use mushrooms instead of tofu. Then I top it with either a fried or poached egg. It's THE BEST.
My boyfriend calls it "hippie fried rice."
Over white rice with soy sauce drizzled on top.
Fried egg on a homemade cheeseburger! Just throw a frying pan on the BBQ beside your patty, and you're good to go. And put some hot sauce on it to kick it up a notch.
Jeez, I think I've been watching too much Food Network...
Adding a fried (or scrambled) egg to any stir-fry adds a new, indescribable depth to it that creates a new texture (if you have a fried AND a scrambled egg, bonus points for you!) to the mix! It's also a great substitution for adding a protein to the meal if you're too lazy to fully cook a piece of meat!
My favorites:
Hamburger Holstein, courtesy of Nigella Lawson : pan fry -- in butter --a hefty-sized ground beef patty (made with minced onions and parlsey). Top with a fried egg and garnish with capers and an anchovy fillet.
Holsteiner Wienerschitznel: dredge thin cutlet of veal (or pork) in flour, then egg, then in fine cracker crumbs. Pan fry cutlet in butter -- natch -- and top with a fried egg. Garnish with capers and anchovy fillet.
Anytime comfort food: leftover heated up white rice and red or black beans cooked PuertoRican/Cuban style, then topped with a fried egg, fresh chopped cilantro and a dash of Tabasco. Fried sweet plantains on the side are optional.
The best fried egg: use olive oil and lightly toast a few slivers of fresh garlic, then drop egg(s) in, salt, fresh pepper and cook sunny side up (cover pan with lid until eggs are just cooked). The toasted garlic adds such a nice texture and flavor. Great with fresh slices of tomato.
on pizza. it is AMAZING.
YUUUUMMMMM!
in malaysia where i'm from. we have this dish called nasi lemak. its rice cooked in coconut milk, served with a spicy sauce made of fried chilly paste with onions and tamarind pulp. And followed with fried anchovies, fried ground nuts, sliced cucumber, AND warm runny crispy fried eggs! just had one for breakfast!
I loved fried eggs (w/ soft yolks) over fried rice.
in the summer, my mom makes a lighter version - its like fried rice deconstructed, w/ no frying:
- rice, cooked w/ bean sprouts, served w/ runny fried egg on top.
- on the table, she lays out pickled veggies, shredded cucumbers (nice, fresh crunch), korean bulgogi -but any meat, even just simply seasoned ground beef would do, kimchi, shredded red leaf lettuce, etc. People add to their rice/sprout/egg bowl what they want from teh table, mix it up, and eat!
My favourite way is fried egg cooked spanish style (but using peanut oil instead of olive oil), and served over rice with salt flakes, pepper, sliced fresh chilli and spring onions and a dash of oyster sauce. Yum!
Away back when I was a lad of 26 stone, I liked to go into a pancake house and order an over-easy fried egg ontop of each pancake; three pancakes stacked with an egg in between each pair, with melted butter plus maple syrup, all hot! Yum. delicious!
Fried egg over slightly melted mozarella (or plain goat cheese), with pesto and a slice of tomato on toasted sourdough bread. Sublime in the summertime.
Lately I've been going the extra mile by making my own dressing, but a fried egg over a green salad I found to be a much better treat!
With curry! Whenever we have leftover curry, me and my boyfriend make this:
hashbrowns spiced with a little bit of cumin/curry powder/garam masala and salt, served with the leftover curry (dal, saag paneer, and channa masala are all favourites with this dish) and top the whole thing with a few fried eggs. Delicious!
Of course, pretty much any way you serve a fried egg is delicious...