Three Favorite Egg Recipes
Last month, we kicked off a new food series: one ingredient, three ways. Our first post featured three chickpea recipes, and this week, we’re turning to eggs. and I have to hand it our experts — if you asked me for my favorite way to use eggs, I’d need five weeks and a therapist to figure out the answer. Fried with crisp edges? Jammy in a green salad? Tucked into a simple egg sandwich? Flipped and folded into a veggie-stuffed omelet? All so good.
But this week, our food friends — Melina Hammer, Olivia Noceda, and Caro Chambers are recommending three A+ egg recipes for us to try (and inevitably fall in love with). Here they are…
Melina Hammer, author and writer of Stories from Catbird Cottage
“Custardy eggs have long been a mainstay in my kitchen: they’re a quick source of protein, and they lend themselves to countless dishes. Moreover, they can be cooked in advance, stored in the fridge, and peeled when you’re ready to eat. This ‘extravagant’ dish looks like you just spent a lot of time in the kitchen — but no. Condiments, like mustard, pickles, and hummus, serve as the base, and all that needs ‘doing’ is adding the eggs! It’s a great go-to meal on busy days.”
Extravagant Eggs For When You Have No Time
Serves 2
2 eggs (use older eggs for easier peeling)
1 8-oz container store-bought hummus
4 cornichons, sliced into thin coins
1 tbsp whole-grain mustard
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup any of these (or a mix of them): parsley, dill, baby arugula or spinach
Crusty bread, to sop it up
In a small saucepan, add enough water to cover eggs by 1/2 an inch. (But don’t actually put the eggs in yet — or, if you need them to measure the water, remove them from the pot before turning on the heat.) Next, bring water to a boil and gently add the eggs, straight from the fridge. Bring the water back to a rolling boil for 1 minute (to set the whites), then lower to a simmer and let them cook for 5 more minutes. While the eggs boil, fill a bowl with cold water and ice cubes. Transfer the eggs to an ice bath and submerge until they are cool to the touch, then peel them and set aside. This step — short of peeling the eggs — can be done up to three days in advance.
In a small bowl, combine the grain mustard, cornichons and olive oil. Season generously with freshly ground pepper and stir well to loosely incorporate the oil. If you are using parsley and/or dill, coarsely chop the leaves and fronds. For arugula and spinach, chop them a little more finely.
For serving, spread a layer of hummus on the bottom of two shallow bowls. Halve each egg and nestle them into the hummus. Spoon the mustard-cornichon mixture over top, and scatter with the fresh herbs and greens. Finish with another grind of pepper, and serve with crusty bread. Enjoy!
Olivia Noceda, writer of the newsletter On The Rocks
“I’m six months pregnant, and I’ve gotten really into breakfast snacking plates. They’re nourishing and beautiful, and you can switch up the elements so you never get bored. I usually include softly scrambled eggs — soft-scramble has to be my favorite way to make eggs (I’ve shared my method below), because it’s simple, yet delicious. Here’s one of my current breakfast-plate combos.”
Loaded Breakfast Snacking Plate
Serves 1
3 eggs, softly scrambled
2 chicken sausages, browned in a skillet
2 slices of sourdough bread, topped with french butter and a sprinkle of salt
Scoop of cottage cheese
Side of fruit (your choice!)
Soft-Scramble Method:
Crack your eggs into a bowl, and whisk with a splash of milk until fully combined. Heat a stainless steel or aluminum pan over medium-high heat until very hot. Add a light coating of cooking spray (I like olive oil spray). To test if the pan is ready, flick a few drops of water onto the surface. If the water beads up and dances across the pan, it’s hot enough.
Pour in the eggs. Using a wooden spoon, gently push the eggs from the outside of the pan toward the center, continuously swirling and folding them as they cook. After about 1 minute, turn off the heat. Continue stirring as the residual heat finishes cooking the eggs. Remove from the pan when they’re still slightly glossy, and just shy of your desired “doneness.” They’ll continue to cook for another minute or so after you put them on the plate.
Add to your breakfast plate, and enjoy!
Caroline Chambers, author and writer of What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking (and her new cookbook comes out in August!)
“This is my mom’s egg salad — the grated egg is non-negotiable. It’s how she’s always made it, and it’s the only way I make it now. I prepare a batch almost every week in the summer, when it’s too hot to think about turning on the stove, and it instantly takes me back to being a kid in her kitchen, watching her grab whatever herbs were growing in the garden that day.”
My Mom’s Egg Salad
Serves 2-4 (double it if feeding 4 really hungry people)
8 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
3 tbsp finely minced chives
2 tbsp finely minced fresh dill
3 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp whole grain (or absolutely any) mustard
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
For serving: soft bread, butter lettuce leaves, Ritz crackers, or your preferred egg salad vessel!
Grate the boiled eggs on the largest hole of a box grater. In a large bowl, combine the grated eggs and the rest of the ingredients. Add more salt and pepper to taste. THAT’S IT!! Serve it on a sandwich, alongside crackers, in lettuce cups, or however you’d like. Store in the fridge, an airtight container, for up to four days.
A great, big thanks to Melina, Olivia, and Caro for these FABULOUS egg recipes! Now friends, I would love to hear your own go-to egg dishes. Any favorites you’d recommend?
P.S. More egg recipes, including five ways to make a better scramble, and 10 dinners with an egg on top.
(All photos courtesy of the authors.)
Comments
60 commentsI love soft scrambled eggs. Just a pinch of salt in the fork scrambled raw eggs and sauteed lightly in plenty of butter. I once read that is the secret to good scrambled eggs. The salt in the eggs before they’re cooked and plenty of melted butter to saute. But another of my favs if I have more time is ” egg in the hole ” My mom made these decades ago. White bread with an egg size hole torn out of the middle. Melt butter in cast iron pan ( she always buttered the bread instead and so did I until recently, but this is easier) put the bread slice in the pan. Break an egg into the hole. Also fry the torn out hole part ! Flip the bread and egg when the bottom side turns golden. Cook until desired yolk consistency. Perfection ! Eat with the little cut out hole ! This is more simple than it sounds ! Been eating this since I was a kid. I’m 67. It goes by several different names. But we call it “egg in the hole.”
Late to the party – marinated ramen eggs. Make a jammy egg (or six) and marinate in a combo of soy sauce and mirin. Yum yum
I haven’t had egg salad in years! I made Caro’s mom’s recipe tonight for a light dinner and it was HEAVEN. I will grate my eggs from now on.
I have been sleeping on breakfast snacking plates (pun intended?) but will immediately be adding to my rotation!
Breakfast for dinner night is Thursdays in my house so this came at the perfect time!! I usually make an omelet with whatever veggies and trimmings we haven’t used yet for the week (asparagus and mushrooms with some fresh dill for tonight). Adding these recipes to our rotation–they all look delish. It’s taken me so long but having a weekly meal plan for the house is the only way I can stay sane as a working parent.
Ooh, do you have a meal theme for each night of the week? I’d love to hear how you do it.
Eggs and rice! This is a comfort dish for many Bangladeshis. Fluffy, hot, white rice and a simple egg omelet. Beat the eggs with some chopped onion, cilantro, salt, pepper, red chili flakes or green chilis. Fry it until the edges are lacy and crispy. (I also like to add peas and tomatoes, you can add any veggies you like.) Eat it with the rice with your hands.
Yum. Gonna give this a try, thank you Kay.
Sounds so yummy. Thank you for sharing!
makes me think of Japanese omurice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH_gYMkqty8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agaSZVYrr2c
Fun fact: I don’t like eggs but I have a flock of chickens lol. I rarely eat eggs and you couldn’t pay me to eat them scrambled or have an omelet. I end up giving most of our eggs away or cooking them for the dogs. I REALLY wish I liked them more as I am not much of a meat eater and I can always use more protein.
egg roll-ups! Loosely based on egg rolex from uganda using ingredients we almost always have (tortillas, spinach, cheese, eggs): whisk 1-2 eggs with salt in a little bowl and chop spinach (optional). melt some butter in a hot pan and add spinach (if using) and cook until wilted. add some egg mixture (on top of spinach) to the pan to make a thin omelet and shape loosely into circle. immediately sprinkle grated cheese on top (could also be optional) and add a tortilla (corn or flour) on top. flip once the bottom side is cooked and let cook until tortilla crisps to liking. take off heat, roll it up and enjoy plain or with hot sauce! also delicious with salsa and avocado or chili oil. i prefer making these with small tortillas but big ones also work. its also toddler approved in my house :)
I usually make this with frozen paratha but I have some tortillas that I need to use up. Will definitely make this with them.
Nadia from GBBO makes something really similar, so good!
What was the rectangle/orange looking cheese on the egg snacking plate? It looked like orange brie? TY!
To me it looks like Petite Boo, which usually is around in the fall. It’s really good!
thank you Melanie! I was perplexed!
I have a severe egg allergy and have officially decided it’s the the most tragic allergen. Eggs are so versatile and so ubiquitous. The flax egg only goes so far LOL.
Just Egg: https://www.ju.st/eat/just-egg Worth the price for omelettes
For a plant based “egg” I highly recommend Rainbow Plant Life’s tofu scramble! It uses tahini which makes the scramble SO silky and delicious. My husband likes them better than chicken eggs.
That recipes is the best.
I get that it was her mom’s tradition – but am I the only one who doesn’t get grating the eggs? Just… smash them with a fork? Lol I get that grating probably creates equal size bits, but I can’t bring myself to care enough :)
Grated eggs are the best! My local cafe served grated egg over their avocado toast and it’s to die for. But anyway, when they are grated the texture is different than when you chop them, they’re almost…fluffy…for lack of a better description. Totally different than when you chop or smash them.
Ah, thanks Meg! I thought the only difference was the size of the pieces, not the actual texture. Will have to try!
I’m with you. I used to chop the eggs. Blech–what a mess. I hated making egg salad just for that. Smashing with the fork (after using the clean fork to grab the mayo) is the way to go. Minimize cleaning!
A trick for jazzing up scrambled eggs: dollop small chunks of Boursin cheese on a pie plate and stick the plate in the freezer; when the eggs are almost ready, scatter the Boursin chunks on top and lightly stir them in. *”Why the freezer routine?” Boursin is a little gooey. and it is easier to handle once it’s chilled.
I’ve overdone it with eggs during some diets and couldn’t even make eye contact with them when I was pregnant. Scrambled and between very buttered bread with cheese is really the only way I can happily do them these days.
I don’t know if I learned about baked eggs here? This is how I bake them (instead of boil them): Boiled-type eggs in the oven: Bake room temperature eggs for boiled eggs put an egg in each muffin tin slot. 325 degrees and bake for 26 – 28 minutes OR 325 degrees for 13 minutes on the lower rack of the convection oven.
OHHH! Egg salad = egg mayonnaise in the UK. I’ve always wondered what it is! Often mentioned in American novels!
Hope this also clarifies tuna salad and chicken salad! And potato salad… lots of mayonnaise based “salads” here in the US
Instead of grating eggs for egg salad I use a hand held metal pastry blender, you know the one you use to cut shortening or butter into flour for pie or biscuit dough, less messy than grating. Then add some small diced chopped celery, salt, pepper, some Gulden’s Brown Mustard or Dijon with mayonnaise, stir to combine and then refrigerate until ready to eat that will give the flavors time to meld together. Also, serving an egg salad sandwich on lightly toasted bread, chef’s kiss, enjoy!
Ahh… a pastry blender. Genius!
I use my potato masher!
perfect timing as this week I’m attempting to make tamago-style eggs for a crowd! I’m using this recipe but would welcome any tips and tricks: https://izzycooking.com/tamago-sushi/ i care less about achieving the perfect texture and may not even roll the eggs because i find it so intimidating, but i want it to taste good (and be fully cooked so no one gets sick). thanks, COJ!
Try checking out the Just One Cookbook website. Loads of great recipes and technique suggestions: https://www.justonecookbook.com/
All sound and look so good! (Also, what is in the 12-2:00 position on Olivia’s breakfast plate?)
apples and cheese, I think
Wait! We are supposed to serve potato salad on something?? Lol! I eat my egg salad on a plate… Maybe with a bit of meat (but not required. Extra mayo for the win. I love me a good potato salad!!!
Just for fun I’m doing some nerdy math on the egg-to-eater ratios in these recipes… 1:1 for the custardy/hummus ones 3:1 for the scrambled 4:1 (!) to 2:1 for the egg salad, depending on the number of eaters. I was raised to eat 1-2 (max) eggs a meal (whether from a scarcity mindset or cholesterol-fearmongering, I don’t know) so the idea of 3 or 4 takes some getting used to!
Yummy post!!!! Can chocolate, or peanut butter be the next ingredient 3 ways?? Or blueberries? Pancakes would be so fun too !!! My breakfast: some leftover coconut milk rice Frozen Broccoli, cooked in microwave Frozen peas, thawed in booking water Crispy fried egg Some avocado All in a bowl. My gosh it was so good. Fiber!!! Plus some good protein. And my favorite food, rice!! I love crispy fried egg, barely runny yolk, on just about anything. So so good. Yesterday it was on a toasted and buttered ciabatta roll. That’s it, so delicious. Shout out to my backyard girls… laying their little hearts out right now. We have so many eggs I’m selling some to neighbors.
I’m weird about eggs…I only like them dry and fluffy and can’t do “creamy” eggs or boiled eggs. (My favorite egg dish is a souffle.) My regular go-to morning dish (called “Mommy eggs” in our house) is to whisk two eggs with seasonings and cook them in a very small pan on the stove until the bottom is set (letting some of the egg run under), and then to flip it like a pancake and cook the other side. I let each side get nice and golden brown. Then I cut the whole thing into quarters and sometimes eat it with greens, sometimes tucked into warm corn tortillas.
Omigosh, this is how we eat eggs in my house, too! Well, my kids at least (grown ups prefer a runny yolk). We call them “flat eggs” and my kids won’t have them any other way. No idea how it started since it’s definitely a non-standard way of cooking them! When my now-wife first started cooking for the kids, learning to make perfect “flat eggs” was a major way she earned their trust.
Interesting to hear that someone else hit upon this method, too! (I’m also not sure how I started doing this way–I haven’t encountered it anywhere else.) Love the name “flat eggs”!
If you like eggs this way, you should check out Persian kuku recipes… similar method with some mix-ins. So yummy!
I totally will look into Persian kuku recipes–thanks for the suggestion!
My favourite way to have ‘quick eggs on hand’ is to pickle them. Once you’ve finished a jar of pickles don’t throw away the pickle juice just yet, hard-boil 6-8 eggs and then once they have cooled and been pealed stick a fork into the egg in a few places (this allows the pickle juice to soak into the egg). Put the eggs into the pickle juice and let it sit in the fridge for 3-5 days before eating… they’ll be perfectly briny in flavour. I learned this quick recipe from my dad and it is the best! Also I second the suggestion for a jammy egg with hummus and bread, if you warm up the hummus in the microwave briefly it’s even better.
this sounds so good!
You had me at killer egg salad. I’d probably throw some scallions in there, too.
Can vouch for Caro’s egg salad. Grating the eggs makes it perfect. Perfect. Her tuna salad is another one that is stupid easy but also top tier.
Grating eggs is a game changer! Wow. Trying this recipe this weekend for a picnic.
I want to eat an egg plate right now! We had a coffee shop that would make scrambled eggs and throw salsa, avocado and a bit of cheese on top with toast. It was a fast Mexican omelet. My current fave is another coffee shop that does a bed of argula, sourdough avocado toast, and then a soft-boiled eggs on top. It’s a complete meal.
Custardy eggs are cousins to soft-boiled, and that coffee shop dish totally sounds a complete meal!
my husband and I go through SO MANY EGGS each week – I always have at least two 18-count cartons in the fridge. So I use them in many ways, but a favorite go-to as of late is an inauthentic “Migas”. I sauté chopped peppers and onion with some chili-lime seasoning from TJs, then add in scrambled eggs (whisked with cottage cheese for extra fluff and protein) and let it scramble until soft. Then I dump in about half a can of black beans (or pintos) and crumble on a handful (or two, lets be honest) of tortilla chips and cook it all until the eggs are set to my liking and then chips are a bit soft. Top with salsa, sour cream, cheese, cilantro, pico, avocado, whatever I have around. YUM! Even my 2.5 year old twin boys love it!
We love migas too. I fry up the chips and little first, then add the eggs, cheese on top. Serve with rice and beans, avocado, sour cream, hot sauce. Great use of the bottom of the tortilla chips bag!
Olivia, you and I are truly on the same wavelength when it comes to butter-to-bread ratio
Hahahaa hear hear!
came here to say the same thing. That is a laudable amount of butter on that toast.
I turn up my nose at mayo as a condiment yet *love* chicken salad and egg salad. Will definitely try the egg salad but have to add some celery for crunch!
Mayo can always be replaced by plain Greek yogurt to punch up the protein.
I am a bad southerner because I agree about mayo in general and also cannot even do it via salad–I have swapped out for greek yogurt and it works like a charm (esp for pimento cheese.) disclaimer: will scrape the tiniest amount of mayo for a BLT or tomato sando, otherwise, greek yogurt sub for life!