You Haven’t Had Egg Salad Like This Before

I’ve eaten a lot of eggs in my time (you could expect nothing less from an editor at a breakfast website). At this point, I feel as though I’ve probably run the gamut of diner-style eggs: poached, over-easy, softmediumhard boiled, and everything in between. So, imagine my surprise at seeing “fried egg salad” on the menu at Stephanie Izard's Little Goat diner in Chicago. Is the chef smearing egg salad on a flat top and cooking it until crispy? Will this manifest as fried eggs tossed with greens and and vinaigrette? No, and no. Fried egg salad is a kind of jumbled-up egg salad made with fried eggs and herbs. It’s much better than the chunky stuff your mom sometimes made you a sandwich with for elementary school lunch, to your utter mortification. Fried egg salad is something you’d actually want to make for and eat with other people.

To make a version of fried egg salad at home, begin (obviously) with fried eggs. My best fried eggs are made in a nonstick pan with a whole bunch of olive oil. Heat that pan over medium-high heat for a few minutes, then toss in a few good glugs of olive oil. If the oil dances around, you’re on the right track. Swirl the oil around the pan and crack in 2 or 3 eggs. Typically, I make fried eggs 1 at a time to ensure nothing gets too stuck together or accidentally broken. Here, I’m less concerned about that because everything’s about to get broken up anyway. But I digress.

Lower the heat to medium low and cook the eggs for 1 minute or 2. Toss salt, pepper, and your favorite seasoning (za’atar! red pepper flakes! cumin!) over the eggs. Flip each egg, then cook again for another 1 minute or 2, or until the yolk is solidified to your liking. I usually like my fried egg yolks pretty runny, but for fried egg salad a jammier yolk is optimal, so let the eggs cook about 30 seconds longer than you would to get a runny yolk. Slide the eggs out the pan (leaving it on the stove, you’ll need it again in a minute) and onto a cutting board to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, finely chop 1 tablespoon capers and ¼ cup fresh parsley.

Roughly chop the fried eggs and throw them back into the hot pan. Quickly toss with capers and parsley. Taste, and add more salt, pepper, and whatever seasoning you added earlier if you feel it needs more.

Serve fried egg salad with your go-to egg fixins, or on a sandwich with bacon and cheese.