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Eggs, ramps, and morel mushrooms sautéed in butter (and a little bacon fat). What could be better?
By
J. Kenji López-Alt
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/kenji-lopez-alt-9e7ff3ba54e24328a853d774a05fd4b8.jpg "Fried Eggs With Ramps, Morels, and Bacon Recipe (1)")
J. Kenji López-Alt
Culinary Consultant
Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.
Learn about Serious Eats'Editorial Process
Updated April 17, 2023
Why It Works
- The hollow core and deeply ridged surface of a morel mushroom makes it the perfect vessel for sauce and egg yolk.
There's not really much to say about fried eggs with ramps and morels sautéed in butter (and a little bacon fat), other than that, with the exception perhaps of aperfectly fresh everything bagel with cream cheese, it's my favorite breakfast.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__recipes__images__2016__05__20160509-morel-ramp-fried-egg-toast-3-9f7b11c0e7df44a0bc348f8c1a57d94f.jpg "Fried Eggs With Ramps, Morels, and Bacon Recipe (2)")
I suppose I could mention that the first time I tried morels, ramps, and bacon together was when I was a green, never-seen-a-morel-in-my-life line cook at No. 9 Park in Boston. Thechef de cuisinewas kind enough to not just personally demonstrate how to cook them but to actually serve me a whole plate for a family meal. He did it with easy, practiced hands, rendering the bacon fat with a little water, sautéing the morels until they were just crisp around the edges, searing the ramps so the whites browned and the green leaves became charred and crunchy, mounting the whole thing with butter and lemon juice, then pouring it all over a crisp-edged, molten-yolked fried egg.
It's also probably worth talking a bit about why morels and ramps make such a sublime pairing. There is the whole "what grows together goes together" thing, and both morels and ramps have extremely short spring seasons. But that's not the real reason. The reason is that ramps, more than any other allium I can think of, have a way of releasing their flavor into whatever fat (whether it's bacon fat, butter, or olive oil) you're cooking them in. Meanwhile, there is no mushroom—perhaps no food,period—that is better at absorbing those flavors than a morel, with its hollow core and deeply ridged surface. The bacon—well, it's bacon, which needs no explaining.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__2016__05__20160509-morel-ramp-fried-egg-toast-1-664762dc81ea40ac81b38077d746da6d.jpg "Fried Eggs With Ramps, Morels, and Bacon Recipe (3)")
I cook my morels, ramps, and bacon essentially the same way I was taught all those years ago, although I do like to add a little butter up front to get some of that deeply browned butter flavor. I also add the tiniest splash of soy sauce along with the lemon juice at the end, to boost the savoriness of the mushrooms.
Everything about this dish is quick. The season is quick, the preparation is quick, and quickest of all is the eating.
May 2016
Recipe Details
Fried Eggs With Ramps, Morels, and Bacon
Active10 mins
Total10 mins
Serves2 servings
Ingredients
4 ounces (100g) diced bacon
6 ounces morel mushrooms (about 3 cups; 160g),cleaned, trimmed, and cut in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, divided
6 ounces ramps (about a dozen ramps; 160g), root ends trimmed, white bottoms separated from green tops
1/2 teaspoon (2.5ml)soy sauce
1 teaspoon (5ml)fresh juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon (15ml) canola oil
2 large eggs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 slices heartybuttered toast
Sliced fresh chives, to garnish
Directions
Heat bacon along with 1 tablespoon (15ml) water in a medium cast iron or stainless steel skillet over medium heat, stirring, until water evaporates, bacon fat renders, and bacon is completely crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a bowl and set aside.
Return skillet to medium-high heat until lightly smoking. Add morels and cook, stirring and tossing frequently, until barely starting to brown, about 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon (15g) butter and cook, stirring, until morels are nicely browned but not burnt, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
Add ramps and cook, stirring and tossing frequently, until whites are browned and tender and greens are crisp in spots, about 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons (30ml) water, soy sauce, lemon juice, and remaining tablespoon butter. Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat canola oil in a medium nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add eggs, season with salt and pepper, and cook, occasionally using a spoon to baste hot oil over the whites to help them cook, until whites are set, edges are crisp, and yolk is still runny.
Place a slice of toast on each of two plates. Top each with a fried egg. Return morel/ramp mixture to high heat and stir in bacon. Cook over high heat until liquid reduces to a creamy, emulsified sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon morels and ramps over and around fried eggs. Sprinkle with chives and serve.
Special Equipment
10-inch cast iron skillet or 10-inch stainless steel skillet
- Eggs
- Fried Eggs
- Bacon
- Morel Mushroom
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 612 | Calories |
| 49g | Fat |
| 26g | Carbs |
| 19g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 2 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 612 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 49g | 63% |
| Saturated Fat 19g | 95% |
| Cholesterol 261mg | 87% |
| Sodium 836mg | 36% |
| Total Carbohydrate 26g | 9% |
| Dietary Fiber 5g | 18% |
| Total Sugars 5g | |
| Protein 19g | |
| Vitamin C 17mg | 85% |
| Calcium 171mg | 13% |
| Iron 13mg | 73% |
| Potassium 772mg | 16% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
