Pan-Fried Egg Salad

It can be safely assumed that if I’m home and if ‘m hungry I’m eating an egg.  It’s a thing that happens multiple times a day in the most inglorious of circumstances: eggs just boiled, eaten standing in front of the dishwasher / eggs scrambled with six day old rice eaten from the small skillet it was cooked in / eggs fried with accidentally too much hot sauce / eggs in a torn tortilla while texting.  

Eggs – because they’re so versatile, because they’re always in the fridge, because they bring actual energy back to my brain.

Most recently I’ve taken to combining my favorite eggs with the other baking staple in the refrigerator:  BUTTER.  Because really and truly why not?  What was ever fried in butter to its detriment?  Literally nothing.  

And so – Butter fried eggs.  Plus a salad, because we are happy and balanced humans who know their worth (which today, is measured in eggs and butter, amen).  

Now… I don’t want to call this a deconstructed egg salad salad… but that might be pretty close to what it is. Let’s!

Here’s what you’ll want / here’s what you’ll need: 

•  Butter lettuce, or any sort that feels fancy to you.  I love the tenderness of butter lettuce leaves.  They have a tender crisp that feels delicate and indulgent to me. 

•  Celery and radishes because whoa lordy I love a crunch and a spice. 

•  Capers for a salty, pickled bite and chives or scallions for depth.  

•  A tart and musterd-y lemon vinaigrette to top the salad. 

•  Eggs – boiled to hard and then (!!) pan fried in butter (!!).  The best way to be. 

There are approximately 85,000 ways (according to the Internet) to boil an egg.  I’ve tried 27 to 30 of them, give or take.  

I want my hard boiled egg cooked through with tender whites and absolutely no hints of grey around the yolk (that’s a sign of an overcooked hardboiled egg).  To make this magic, consistently, I bring a medium pot of water to a rolling boil.  To the boiling water I add cold (obviously raw) eggs, set the flame at medium, and set my timer for 11 minutes. 

After 11 minutes I make my way bake to the stove, drain the boiling water, add cold water from the faucet and a handful of ice cubes to the pot – all to cool the eggs.

When the eggs are cool enough to handle I crack their shells and run them under cool water as I peel them, the water helps get in between the egg white and the shell membrane for a clean peel. 

To fry the eggs, grab a nonstick skillet and a very good pat of butter.  Slice the eggs in half and fry them cut side down until golden brown.  Place the little gems on a plate and season generously with salt and pepper.  

Honestly – wow. This is some high level salad work.

With our hard work done (it wasn’t really hard at all, there was butter involved) we can shimmy this salad together.  

We’ll toss a few tablespoons of lemon vinaigrette into our torn butter lettuce. 

Toss to combine, toss to flavor all of the lettuce leaves, toss onto two big plates.  

Top each happy lettuce pile with lots of thinly sliced celery.  

Radishes, too!  More is more.  The crunch and the spice is perfect. 

Finish with sliced scallions or chives and a few capers.  

If you don’t have or don’t feel capers, thinly sliced pickles would also add a nice bite.  

Top with the butter-frid eggs.  Season generously and drizzle with more vinaigrette.  

Think: breakfast salad.  Think: super simple dinner.  Simply think about trying your eggs in butter every time their boiled. 

Photos with my dear Jon Melendez!   

Pan-Fried Egg Salad

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• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 11 minutes
• Total Time: 31 minutes

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Ingredients

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For the Lemon Vinaigrette

• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil
• sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper

For the Eggs

• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper

For the Salad

• 1 head butter lettuce, torn into bite size bites
• 2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
• a handful of radishes, halved and thinly sliced
• a few tablespoons of finely chopped scallions or chives
• a few tablespoons of capers, drained
• sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper

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Instructions

1. To make the vinaigrette I start with a small mason jar with a tight fitting lid. Into the jar place lemon zest and juice, honey, mustard, olive 1/3 cup olive oil, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Place the lid on the jar and give it a good shake for a good minute until the dressing is emulsified. Open the jar, taste the dressing and add more olive oil, salt, pepper, or sweetness to your taste. Return the lid to the jar and shake once again. Allow to rest in the refrigerator until ready to pour onto the salad. (You’ll have more dressing that you need for this salad. Just save the rest in the fridge! It’s great to have on hand!)
2. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the eggs to the boiling water and set a timer for 11 minutes. Boil eggs for 11 minutes. Remove from heat, and drain the pot under cold water. Allow the eggs to cool for several minutes, until cool enough to handle.
3. When the eggs are cool enough to handle, crack the shells, run under cold water and peel the eggs. Slice each peeled egg in half.
4. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the eggs, cut side down into the melted butter and allow to cook, undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes. Take a look under each egg and see that it’s nice and golden brown. Remove from the pan and allow to rest cut side up on a plate.
5. To assemble the salad, place salad leaves in a medium bowl. Toss with a few tablespoons of dressing. Dish onto plates. Top with celery, radishes, scallions or chives, and capers. Drizzle each plate with a bit more dressing. Top with fried eggs, salt and pepper. Enjoy immediately!

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2