Eggs Royale: Smoked Salmon and Poached Eggs with Lemon Hollandaise
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats, America's Test Kitchen and NYT Cooking.
Toasted English muffins are layered with smoked salmon and poached eggs with fully set yolks, then coated with a lemon hollandaise cooked over water to a safe 71 °C.
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Method
- 1
Cook the yolks. Put 3 cm water in the saucepan and bring it to a bare simmer. Whisk the yolks, lemon juice and water in the bowl, set it over the pan and whisk constantly for 3-5 minutes until thick, pale and leaving a trail, and the mixture reads 71 °C. If the edges start to look grainy, lift the bowl off for a few seconds; gentle, even heat thickens the yolks without scrambling them.
- 2
Whisk in the butter. Take the bowl off the heat and whisk in the warm butter a spoonful at a time, then in a thin stream, until the sauce is thick and glossy. Season with the cayenne and salt, and whisk in 1 tsp warm water if it is too thick. Keep it over the pan, off the heat, and use within 30 minutes.
- 3
Drain the eggs. Crack each egg into the sieve over a bowl and swirl for 20-30 seconds so the thin white drips away, then tip it into a ramekin. This gives neat, compact poached eggs.
- 4
Poach in two batches. Bring the water to the boil in the deep pan, then lower it to a bare simmer. Tip in 4 eggs, spaced apart, and cook for 6-7 minutes until the whites are firm and the yolks feel set when pressed (71 °C). Lift them into the bowl of hot water to keep warm and poach the other 4.
- 5
Assemble. Toast the muffins and put 2 halves on each plate. Top with the smoked salmon, then a drained egg, blotted on kitchen paper. Spoon over the hollandaise, scatter with dill and serve straight away.
Storage
Best eaten straight away. Hollandaise does not keep; leftover salmon and muffins can be refrigerated separately for up to 2 days. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Equipment
- heatproof bowl
- saucepan that the bowl sits on without touching the water
- balloon whisk
- fine sieve
- 8 ramekins or small dishes
- deep frying pan or wide saucepan (about 28 cm)
- slotted spoon
- kitchen paper
- bowl of hot water (about 60 °C)
- toaster or grill
- instant-read probe thermometer
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 657 kcal |
| Protein | 28.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 29.4 g |
| of which sugars | 0.7 g |
| of which free sugars | 0.2 g |
| Fat | 46.8 g |
| of which saturates | 24.3 g |
| Fibre | 1.7 g |
| Salt | 2.02 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
4.4 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
