The art of the frying an egg

While we're on the topic of eggs....

Several years ago at our farmers market, N and I spied one of our favorite farmers, Lee of Tierra Vegetables, surreptitiously slip a small carton of eggs into a customer's canvas bag. Our curiosity was piqued. Neither of us had never seen a sign advertising fresh eggs at Tierra! My eyes widened and my jaw started to drop. N, sensing an opportunity, cast a sharp sideways glance at me that wordlessly communicated that I had better bite my tongue and not make a spectacle of myself. This situation required finesse.

We sidled up to the displays of dried and smoked peppers and feigned interest in the jars of spicy pepper jams even though our cupboards were already filled with them. Now within earshot, we overheard Lee tell the grateful customer that her brother Wayne had gathered the eggs that very morning. The customer prattled on about freshness and flavor and how these were the best eggs ever...blah blah blah.

My heart began to race and I turned Araucana green with envy. Must. Have. Eggs. Now. N gave me another one of her looks, this one saying "Let me handle this." I bit my tongue until it damn near bled.

As soon as the lucky bastard had left with his stash of eggs, N mustered up all her charm and made her move.

I watched with my usual sense of awe as N wove one of her masterful stories, using her astounding powers of persuasion and innate emotional intelligence that, were EQ as highly regarded as IQ would surely place her on a par with Einstein. Were my memory as gifted, I would share every detail with you. Suffice it to say that she somehow turned Lee's initial "No, I only have a few eggs for special long-time customers" into a "Yes, just this once."

At the time, no other farmer at our market was selling eggs from truly free-range chickens. (I remember how shocked I was when I first learned that poultry ranches could use the term "free-range" even if they debeak their hens and stack cages one atop the other. If I understand correctly, all they need is occasional access to the outside). Wayne's tiny flock of chickens actually get to roam around a yard and blissfully peck at weeds and grubs and slurp up the occasional worm. Like a scene out of Chicken Run (minus the evil chicken pie machine).

We carried our treasure home, nestled between bunches of herbs and spinach in our basket. Although I may not have remembered every detail of N's story, I do remember every detail of lunch that day. We fried our eggs in fresh butter, sprinkled them with coarse fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper, and plopped them on top of thick slices of toasted country bread from Della Fattoria. The yolks were as dark orange as a tangelo and we were convinced the eggs had the distinct taste of freshly roasted chicken.

Today, of course, it is much easier (for you local San Francisco readers at least) to find true farm fresh, free-range eggs at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. They'll set you back a few bucks, but they are worth every penny. While I don't think Lee still brings eggs to the San Francisco market (you can buy them at her stand in Healdsburg), on Saturdays Eatwell Farms sells eggs from Three Wise Hens (see Sunday's post) and Marin Sun Farms sells their own chickens' eggs, while Nash sells eggs at the afternoon FP market on Tuesdays and across town at the Alemany market on Saturdays.

Below are instructions for how to fry an egg Spanish-style in olive oil, which is (perhaps not surprisingly) my new favorite way to devour these culinary jewels.

Diego Velázquez's "Vieja Friendo Huevos" (Old Woman Frying Eggs), 1618, hanging in the National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh

Huevos Fritos

I was intrigued to read in one of Penelope Casas' cookbooks that her Spanish husband's favorite meal, the one he requests every year on his birthday, is fried eggs. Here's a guy married to the author of a half dozen Spanish cookbooks and a culinary/travel guide to Spain, a man who could presumably request any number of gastronomic delights, and he desires fried eggs? My initial thought was "what a yokel!" (pun intended). But then I noticed each of my Spanish cookbooks includes a recipe for fried eggs. And each one waxes as rhapsodic as Penelope Casas' husband about how beloved the fried egg is in Spain. Still skeptical, I felt compelled to test how deep this passion ran during my last 2 trips to Spain. Nearly everyone I asked grew flushed with excitement as soon as I raised the topic of the huevo frito! Yet another reason why the Spanish are my kind of people.

Naturally, I sampled fried eggs whenever I could during my travels (which in Spain is any time but breakfast), including a memorable one that was perched atop an embarrassing quantity of the most delicious foie gras I have ever had (served as a lunch-time appetizer at Mantequeria Can Ravell in Barcelona). I also learned how to master the simple art of the huevo frito, which as you will learn, is the best farm fresh egg you can buy quickly fried in generous amounts of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. Guess what I'll be making for myself every year on my birthday from now on (although probably for breakfast or brunch)! Who's the yokel now?

ingredients

extra virgin olive oil, preferably Spanish
1 egg per person
coarse sea salt, preferably Maldon
toasted bread (optional, but highly encouraged)

method

Pour enough oil in non-stick pan to come to a depth of about 1⁄4-inch. Turn flame to medium-high and heat until nearly smoking. Break the egg into the pan without breaking the yolk (or, if you're the cautious type, break it into a saucer or teacup first, and then slip it into the pan). Quickly turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for no more than a minute, all the while using a metal spoon to baste the top of the egg with the hot oil from the pan. The white will puff up and get a bit crunchy and golden on the sides and the yolk will remain gloriously runny. Use a slotted spoon to lift the egg out of the pan and shake off any excess oil. Plop your egg onto your plate or toast, sprinkle with salt (and freshly ground pepper if you like), and imagine yourself at an outside terrazza somewhere in Spain on a warm sunny day.

Salvador Dalí's "Velazquez Dying Behind the Window on the Left Side Out of Which a Spoon Projects," 1982

Food|and Drink|Recipes|Spanish|Vegetarian

Comments

[Fatemeh]

I seriously need to learn how to curb this gag instinct.

But, um, other than the runny {gag} yolk {double-gag} photo... this was a great post!

[Tana]

Glorious and gorgeous. I have been the beneficiary of many farm-fresh eggs, and there is nothing like them.

Thank you!

[jeanne]

I'm worried that this will become addictive for me. I love the artwork--what's with the people in Velázquez's painting? Are they out of olive oil?!

[vanessa]

fried eggs are the best. the olive oil and egg white are eerily good together, especially with those crisped edges.

btw, thanks for the heads up on your experience with the bull's, er, goods. i was awfully disappointed with my experience. good to read that yours turned out much better. i would say "I wish I could've had your balls," but that would just be wrong :)

my second favorite way to eat eggs? soft-boiled with toast soldiers. posted about that a few weeks back. tangelo-orange yolks, baby!

[David]

I've kind of become an egg-yok snob recently. Once you see the gorgeous deep-golden orange yolk of a farm-fresh egg, it's hard to go back to those pallid, pale vaguely yellow centers again.

But shame on you Brett, having N do all your foodie dirty-work!

[nopisto]

I don't have to make a big effort to imagine myself at an outside terraza in Spain ;-P

Just one not, on El Practicón a recomendable cookbook from 1900 by Angel Muro he seys to add first the white of the egg to the oil and leave a hole in it to add the yolk at the end just to worm it. And that's the wqay I use and prefer. Give it a try next time.

[Alanna]

You have achieved NEW HEIGHTS when it comes to, ahem, cheese sandwiches ... what a terrific piece, really appreciated the paintings, have been scouring them for at least five minutes! Many thanks ... AK

[Faith Hopler]

Lurker piping up. Fantastic post - I love the runny egg! I tried it immediately, this morning, and it was delicious - not to mention dramatic, as I plopped the egg in the hot oil.

I babysitting a two-year-old at the time, who generally does not like eggs, but she was very impressed by the "loud egg" and demanded that I let her try the fried white. Then it was decreed that I make another one, which I did, and she ate the whole white herself. So delicious!

[yoony]

I must go find myself some real free range eggs and spanish oil if I can have egg pleasures so beautiful and delicious!

[GreenOliveTree]

Hi Brett, what a neat idea with the post. it´s an art i´m still trying to hone :) Thanks for leaving me a note for the Calcotada post. I got back from Paris last week and posted some pics. Check it out. Speak soon. Saludos de Barcelona, k

[Melissa]

You are so right about the Spanish and their eggs! I've never had them as often, or as delicious, as I did there. And the olive-oil bath is really a revelation, isn't it? My parents nearly had a heart attack the first time I made them fried eggs the way I'd learned in Spain. Luckily they've now figured out that olive oil is actually good for the heart...

[Juan-Luis]

D still turns her nose up at olive-oil drenched eggs, but I am convinced there's nothing better. One day I will change her mind.

Oh, and I should mention one of my favourite local Castillian fried egg recipes - simply add a teaspoon of pimenton to the oil before adding the egg. Adds a little smokiness to the results - yum!

[Brett]

Fatemeh, just for you I'll think I'll post a picture of a bowl of orecchiette topped with a fried egg.

Tana, farm-fresh eggs are a true delicacy, aren't they? I imagine you must have ample opportunities to indulge.

Jeanne, what I love about the Velázquez painting is that it was painted nearly 400 years ago in Seville. It shows how deeply ingrained the Spanish love for frying eggs in copious amounts of olive oil is. Those eggs appear to be swimming in olive oil, so I don't think they're out. This is such a beloved painting that Dalí covered Velázquez with fried eggs in his portrait of the artist.

Vanessa, mmmm...soft boiled eggs are indeed tasty. Hopefully my wife won't read your comment about the bits of bullhood and get the wrong idea! LOL

David, sometimes you need to divide the labor according to personal stregths. N can be much more persuasive than I. But then I do the cooking. In the end we're both happy.

Nopisto, if anyone was unsure of how fanatical Spaniards are about their huevos fritos, your comment makes it clear! Of course, I will have to give this 100 year old method a try. Thank you!

Alanna, yes, my next post will be on how to boil water! True "cheese sandwich" material.

Faith, hello lurker! Thanks for sharing your cute story (and welcome to IPOS). Very impressive sounding 2 year old! I don't think I would've been as adventurous at her age.

Yoony, good luck in your search. Maybe ask the chef of the restaurant if you can have one of the farm-fresh green eggs. The type of olive oil is less important.

Kel, your pictures from the markets of Paris are spectacular.

Melissa, yes, when you're not used to it, it is frightful seeing an egg fried in so much oil, isn't it? But in the end it's probably healthier than frying them in butter (and far better than the margarine my mom used!).

Juan-Luis, good idea! I'll have to try that next time. A little pimentón seems to make everything taste better.

[jen maiser]

I know another farmer at the market who used to do this. One of his most loyal customers was a reporter for a newspaper in town. The farmer told the reporter that if he EVER saw anything in print about his eggs, she would be disallowed from buying eggs ever again. She kept her mouth shut and her tummy happy for the whole time he sold the eggs.

[KK]

After reading this - I was inspired to make the most amazing Filipino breakfast. Garlic fried rice, topped with 2 farm fresh eggs, fried Spanish style, with some Filipino "Spanish style" sardines and some Crystal hot sauce. oh man. so good I had it two days in a row!!

[Ulla]

I love it! Beautiful and the saffron yoke, and I love that you have Aracuna eggs!

[tejal]

oh, could this be the most beautiful photo of a fried egg, ever? I actually called my boyfriend over to gawk at it with me.

[Jose Angel]

Hi, I'm a Spaniard (from Granada) living in the Bay Area.
I like your blog but I'm too hungry now to keep reading :-)
If you want to add another "traditional" touch, just slice a garlic clove and fry it into the olive oil until a bit golden, then put it aside, fried your egg and serve the slightly crispy garlic slices on top on your eggs. Mmmmm... I love my huevos fritos con ajos!!

[Mosaic]

fried egg is the best vi ant in breakfast.... i love to eat egg always in home!!!!

[Ed Wessel]

Gently fry an Italian frying pepper in olive oil, puncturing it first to allow the steam to release, until the pepper flattens. A cover will assist. Then remove the seeds and stem and return the pepper to the pan, shaping it into a crescent. Break your fresh egg(s) in the crescent and follow your method to finish cooking. This recipe is why I always include a few of these plants in my garden.

[brett]

Thanks, Ed, sounds delicious!

[FJH]

Eggs are also good fried in hazelnut oil and mustard seed oil. I tried the hazelnut ones with cumin and paprika, which made for a lovely warm-spicy mixture; and the mustard seed ones with black pepper, which made them VERY spicy and a real pick-me-up.

[Craig Lahr]

I noticed that one of your commenters mentioned that eggs are excellent when fried in olive oil or hazelnut.
I've been buying olive oil, produced in Israel but sold in the US, from this company called Holy Food Imports (www.holyfoodimports.com) and I have never been dissatisfied.

[Sarah Jumel]

We have yard chickens. If you truly want orange, orange yolks, feed your yard chickens boiled shrimp shells (a great was to dispose of those things before they start to stink). Apparently the same stuff that makes flamingos feathers go pink will go to work, and you too will have neon orange yolks.
They won't taste shrimpy, either.

[brian [email protected]]

hello, i too love farm fresh eggs,fried is the best way to enjoy them,.but a soft boiled egg ,with the yolk still just a little runny, just a touch. actually i call the yolk soft.
i live in the country and only buy fresh eggs for just 2.oo dollars a dz. eat your heart out!!!
BUT IF YOUR EVER OVER THIS WAY. I WILL FRY AN EGG FOR YOU. and send you away with a dozen,of the biggest,brown shelled,deep yellow yolk eggs
you ever saw meadville mississippi
p.s. ever thought of buying a acre of land,grow your own spices,raise your own eggs,wear a straw hat. and say ya'll