The Crispiest, Ooziest Poached Eggs Come From the Oven

Tiffany Hopkins

No one can argue against tender, luscious poached eggs (hat tip to brunchy Benedicts) but there’s a certain appeal that comes with crunchy food that most sentient beings can’t resist. From fried chicken to potato chips to even something as basic as crisp lettuce, crunch adds an entirely new sensory element to food that goes beyond mere taste. Since the beginning of time, humans have naturally associated crunch and crispness with freshness. But I think we all can agree that crunchiness simply makes the eating experience a little more fun.

If you're going to cook something, why not have it be a crispy egg?
If you're going to cook something, why not have it be a crispy egg?

And when you can achieve maximal crispness without frying, I call it a win-win. That’s what the talented women of Canal House have accomplished with their new kind of crispy egg—just one of many brilliant (and brilliantly simple) recipes from their latest book Cook Something: Recipes to Rely On. These crumb-covered poached eggs go beyond fried eggs that are just crisp around the edges (although we're big fans of that technique, as well). These velvety eggs get their crunch not from a trip to the frying pan, but from a generous coating of bacon-y panko breading. Think: next-level eggs on toast, but with the toast actually wrapped around each egg.

It’s their riff on a Scotch egg, the gastropub staple that's typically soft-boiled, then deep-fried. In their version, the egg is gently poached instead, which makes the yolk deliciously runny without you having to deal with the trickiness of peeling a soft-boiled egg. Then, rather than wrapping the poached eggs in a layer of sausage meat like Scotch eggs, Canal House creators Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton coat the eggs with breadcrumbs that have been tossed with pulverized crispy bacon.

“We wanted try it with a poached egg and chop up the meat to make it more fine,” explained Hirsheimer. “The meat isn’t separate from the crumb, it’s part of the crumb.”

Like many people around the world, Hamilton says they’re crazy about breadcrumbs and enjoy using them whenever they can. “We use them in pastas, kale salads—we use them in everything, so it’s just natural for us to use it with eggs,” she said.

But as the duo tested their crumb-covered poached eggs in the kitchen, they learned frying wasn’t the answer to nailing a crisp crust. “Deep-frying didn’t work, because the outsides would get burnt; shallow-frying didn’t well either, because it wasn’t good with the panko and the eggs were difficult to turn over in a skillet,” said Hirsheimer.

How to Poach Eggs Perfectly, Every Time

Some people swear that to get perfect poached eggs, you need to add vinegar to the water. Don't listen to them. What's important is using fresh eggs—they hold their shape better than older ones. The water temperature is also key: You aren't looking for a rolling boil or even a simmer here. (All that motion will shake and possibly break your egg.) Instead, heat a large pot of salted water over high until you start to see tiny bubbles appear on the bottom (the temperature should be around 180°F). Reduce heat to very low to keep it there, or, if you need to, remove the pot from the heat altogether.
Hate those white wispy strands that usually form when you drop a raw egg into hot water? Use this trick to avoid them and give the poached egg a more compact shape: Crack an egg into a small bowl, then gently transfer it to a medium-sized fine mesh strainer set over a medium bowl. Gently swirl for a few seconds to allow any stray whites to drain, then scrape the bottom of the strainer on the lip of the bowl to remove the excess.
With the egg still in the strainer, carefully lower it into the hot water so that the egg is completely submerged. Gently shake and swirl the strainer and use a slotted spoon to shape the egg. When the edges of the egg white start to turn opaque (30 to 60 seconds), use the slotted spoon to carefully release it from the strainer into the water.
Cook the egg, flipping it occasionally with the spoon, until the white is opaque and firm and the yolk is plump and jiggles slightly to the touch, 3 to 3 1/2 minutes. As the first egg is cooking, repeat steps to cook additional eggs, but keep an eye on which egg went in first. Use a timer to avoid overcooking.
When the egg is done, use the slotted spoon to carefully remove it from the hot water. To serve immediately, place a paper towel under the spoon and shake gently to remove some of the excess water. Reserve on an oiled plate until remaining eggs are finished. Or...
Cooking brunch for a big group? Want poached eggs every morning? Here's a secret: You can cook them ahead of time. After cooking, immediately put the eggs into a bowl of ice water. (This stops the cooking process, ensuring your yolks will be that ideal runny texture.) Eggs can be held in a resealable container filled with cold water in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To serve, place the eggs in a bowl of hot water (hot tap water works fine here) until the whole egg feels warm to the touch, about 2 minutes.
Serve the poached egg in a stewed tomato sauce, on toast with hollandaise sauce, or simply topped with salt, pepper, oil, and herbs.

Thankfully, they discovered that the best solution was also the easiest. “The oven perfectly surrounds the egg with heat and browns the exterior,” said Melissa. “The egg gets warmed through, but keeps its runny interior,” said Melissa.

When you cut into these eggs, the crispy crust gives way to the the tender egg inside and the crumbs soak up some of the velvety yolk. “Bacon is basic, but you can’t beat it,” said Hirsheimer. “In this recipe, it’s crisp, but fine—perfectly matching the egg’s delicacy.”

The recipe is simple yet luxurious, and it has everything you could ever want in breakfast (or lunch) (or dinner). It’s buttery, savory, and it’s got the time-honored crunch. If you prefer not to use bacon, Cook Something offers three additional variations of the crumb-covered poached eggs: Pancetta and parmigiano crumbs, tarragon and parsley crumbs, and chorizo crumbs.

As Hamilton and Hirsheimer put it, these eggs are both rustic and sophisticated—and they’re the perfect dish for a crowd. The best part? Everything is made ahead. All you have to do is pop them into the oven to warm them up and get them golden brown just before serving. And no one's stopping you from serving them with even more bread (in the form of toast) alongside for good measure.

Crumb-Covered Poached Eggs

Christopher Hirsheimer
Melissa Hamilton

Originally Appeared on Epicurious