Paprika Fried Egg

This paprika fried egg recipe might seem counterintuitive, but will help you get a well-seasoned egg yolk and flavorful egg white every time. Dig into your spice cabinet and you can really get creative with this technique!

Try combining this technique with my two-step trick for a perfectly runny egg yolk and serving it up on a slice of crusty no knead bread or soft homemade English muffins!

Why This Technique Works

One of the biggest challenges when it comes to making any fried egg is getting the seasoning deep into the egg white.

Whether you're serving your fried egg sunny-side up, over-easy, over-medium, poached, hard-boiled, or fried, by the time you add salt and pepper, the white has begun to set. And if the yolk is whole, it's hard to get salt and pepper into that golden center.

Since working from home, an egg on toast (or cacio e pepe egg-in-toast) has become one of my quick go-to breakfasts. For years I seasoned fried eggs the way most people do, with a little salt and pepper; occasionally mixing it up and using Trader Joe's lemon pepper instead.

But the best way to season a fried egg, imo, is with a bit of paprika bloomed in oil before the egg even hits the pan. Once I started doing this, there was no going back.

🍳 Ingredient notes

Here's what you'll need to make this well seasoned fried egg:

• Egg - Whatever size or type of egg you like. Wanna try this with an ostrich egg? Go for it.
• Oil - Vegetable or olive oil, or if you prefer avocado or sesame oil, that's fine too. Peanut oil? Also fine. You could even do this with butter.
• Paprika - See notes below for how to pick types of paprika.
• Salt and pepper - To season!

🍳 How to make a paprika fried egg

This technique is perhaps unconventional, but it's how I ensure that the paprika flavor penetrates the egg white and egg yolk as much as possible. And when you keep your yolk runny, you can still dip your toast in it without feeling the need to add more salt — the flavor is already there.

(BTW, in doing some research for this post I was delighted to learn that a similar technique is featured on Food 52 as a "Genius Recipe" so perhaps not as unconventional as I thought!)

Instead of cracking the egg into the pan and then seasoning it with salt and pepper, start by blooming the salt, pepper, and paprika in the pan and then add the egg.

(As always, remember to heat your stainless steel pans before adding oil.)

The hot oil helps intensify the flavor of the paprika, which will fizz a little and become fragrant and dark red very quickly. By blooming the spices first, when the egg settles into the pan, the oil is already packed with flavor that cooks right into the egg.

Once you crack the egg into the pan, all it needs is one last teeny-tiny pinch of salt and a grind of pepper over the yolk before it firms up to seal the yolk between two layers of flavor.

Letting the egg it cook low and slow gives the yolk and the egg white time to absorb the flavors in the pan without overcooking it. A teaspoon of water added to the pan before you cover it creates steam, which helps the surface of the egg cook more evenly.

TIP: At high heat, paprika burns quickly and takes on a bitter, unpleasant taste. Always cook low and slow to bloom the paprika, rather than burning it.

🌶 Why paprika is perfect for seasoning eggs

Salt intensifies the egg flavor, pepper adds some spice, and the paprika adds a subtle warmth and a sweetness.

Of course, depending on what kind of paprika you use, you can really play around with flavor a lot! Some will make for a spicy fried egg while others will make it more savory and sweet.

Fresh peppers are a classic addition to scrambled eggs and omelets, so it makes sense that paprika — which is made from red peppers — is one of the best seasonings for a fried egg.

Paprika is also often sprinkled over deviled eggs, so when you think about it, it's kind of weird that we haven't always served fried eggs like this.

🌶 Types of paprika

There are many different kinds of paprika to choose from. I usually use a mild and sweet paprika, but sometimes reach for a smoked or hot paprika when I want a little more of a kick.

There are Hungarian paprikas and Spanish paprikas and within them, even more variations.

There's a lot of room to explore, and so many great ways to spice up fried eggs with paprika! Be careful with the spicier paprikas though... a little goes a LONG way.

Here are some types of paprika to try:

• Hungarian Paprika - Spicy taste but not spicy hot.
• Smoked Spanish Sweet Paprika - A sweet, rich smoky flavor.
• Smoked Paprika - Adds a woodsy, smoky flavor. Very warm and cozy.
• Hungarian Half-Sharp Paprika - Tastes like a combination of red bell pepper and fiery cayenne pepper. Use this for a spicy fried egg.

There is no "right" paprika to use for a paprika fried egg — whichever one you like best (or already have in your kitchen) is the one you should use.

📋 Take your paprika fried eggs to the next level

Now that you know how to make a paprika fried egg, consider serving yours:

• On a slice of crusty cheddar-jalapeño bread
• Inside a bell pepper ring
• With finely grated fresh parmesan over the top
• Cooked in bacon fat
• On a juicy turkey burger
• Over smashed avocado or small batch guacamole
• With a crispy scallion potato pancake
• With a zig-zag of homemade hot sauce
• Others???? Leave a comment below and tell me how you serve yours!

🧂 Other great seasonings for eggs

You don't have to stop with paprika. There are lots of other herbs and spices that benefit from being bloomed in oil before you add your egg. Here are some to try:

1. Za'atar - A Middle Eastern spice blend made from sumac, sesame, cumin, and other herbs.
2. Pepper & Lemon Seasoning - A well-balanced blend of black pepper and tangy lemon zest.
3. Berbere - A hot spice blend made from paprika, salt, coriander, ginger, cumin, methi leaves, cayenne, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, clove, and garlic. (Berbere is also great on popcorn!)
4. Chives - Fresh or dried, perfect if you want that onion-y flavor without the punch of raw onion.
5. Girl Carnivore's Over Easy Egg & Everything Seasoning - A spice blend designed specifically for eggs featuring citrus, dill, and tomato flakes.
6. Penzey's Sandwich Sprinkle - This spice blend has a cult following for good reason. It's a great addition to sandwiches, but the combo of salt, garlic, black pepper, basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme and marjoram is also great with a fried egg.
7. European Peppercorn Blend - Freshly cracked peppercorns bloom beautifully in warm oil and this blend of Tellicherry and white Sarawak peppercorns is the perfect pairing for a delicate protein like eggs.
8. Chile De Arbol and Cumin Seeds with a pinch of Chile Powder - This combo from Priya Krishna's Indian-ish cookbook makes up a condiment called Chhonk which can be stirred into stews or drizzled over toasts. It's so good, and a great base for frying eggs.
9. Rosemary Dijon - Tangy dijon with the herbal freshness of rosemary.
10. Amore Pizza Seasoning - A blend of minced garlic, basil, salt, garlic, thyme, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, pepper, chili flakes, and minced onion.

🔪 Suggested tools

• Wide slotted turner (aka fish spatula) for removing the egg from the pan.
• Small, non-stick skillet with lid (if the lid doesn't fit perfectly, that's okay, as long as it will cover the egg without squishing it).

💭 Technique FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions

Can you use this technique with fresh herbs? You can but I don't recommend it. Fresh herbs are much more delicate than their dried counterparts and will quickly wilt and become brown and unappetizing looking. Fresh herbs are better added at the end of the egg cooking process.

Do you need to use oil if using a non-stick pan? For this technique, I recommend it. The idea is to bloom the spices in the oil and infuse the oil with flavor. Without the oil, you're just toasting the herbs and spices which is fine but will give you a different flavor profile. It's also much easier to accidentally burn the spices this way.

How do you know when oil is shimmering? When the oil has loosened up and moves fluidly around the pan. If you look closely you should see a rippling effect as the oil moves across the surface. Check out the gifs in my post about heating stainless steel pans for good visuals and a detailed explanation of what "shimmering" oil looks like!

Can you add paprika to scrambled eggs? Yep! Just be careful — if you add too much paprika to the oil in the pan before you add the eggs or if you whisk too much paprika into the raw eggs before cooking, you'll end up with orange-red scrambled eggs. If you don't mind orange-red scrambled eggs go for it, otherwise I would recommend reserving the paprika to shake overtop once they're cooked.

📖 Recipe

This post was originally published on 1/16/2020.