Salmon Benedict

Salmon Benedict combines two classic brunch favorites — eggs Benedict and smoked salmon — into one delicious dish. With a rich hollandaise sauce, luscious lox, and a runny egg, it truly delivers the best of both worlds.

In a word, none! Eggs royale is the proper name for the smoked salmon variation of eggs Benedict. It’s a toasted English muffin topped with slices of smoked salmon and a poached egg, all smothered in hollandaise sauce. 

Hollandaise is easier to make than you may think. I used our classic stovetop hollandaise sauce recipe as the base. Egg yolks and lemon juice are whisked and warmed over a double boiler. A melted stick of butter is then whisked in off-heat to form an emulsion that is both light yet rich. For this version, I stirred in some fresh dill and chopped capers — two classic smoked salmon accompaniments. Their fresh, briny flavors cut through the buttery fish and sauce. 

• Use a straight-sided skillet. It’s both wide and shallow, giving you plenty of space for the eggs as well as the ability to easily retrieve the eggs with a slotted spoon.
• Crack the eggs into small bowls or ramekins first. This way you won’t be fussing with cracking eggs over a pot of hot, steamy water. Just pour the eggs from the ramekin straight into the water.
• Strain your eggs. This step is optional, but it translates to less billowy egg white floating around in the pot of water, and it makes for a neater prestation. Crack one egg at a time into a fine mesh strainer. The watery white will drain away, leaving a tighter white and yolk. Pour the remaining egg carefully into a ramekin and proceed as directed.
• Cook the eggs in two batches. Monitoring eight eggs at once can be a little chaotic. Instead, prep the second four eggs while the first four are cooking.

There are definitely a few components to making smoked salmon eggs Benedict, and it moves pretty quickly once you start cooking. But as long as you get yourself set up before you actually start cooking, it’ll go smoothly. 

• Prep the cooked ingredients first. Splitting the English muffins first means they’ll be ready to toast right before serving. Prepping the smoked salmon means it won’t be fridge-cold upon serving, and you won’t have to fiddle with plastic packaging and separating the silky slices from one another while your poached eggs are rapidly cooling. And, chopping the dill and capers for the hollandaise sauce first means the butter emulsion isn’t sitting to the side for longer than it needs to.
• Start assembling the first two servings while the second set of eggs is poaching. This will ensure that you’ll be serving a warm breakfast, instead of several cold components.