I had some harissa eggs in a restaurant recently and couldn’t wait to experiment at home.
Normally when we have an omelette or frittata for dinner, my Irishman makes some joke about ‘where’s the meat’.
But with these eggs the fact that it was meatless went without comment.
I’ve written this recipe to serve one because I like to cook each serve individually but you could use a larger pan and double it if you prefer.
I’ve just used a commercial harissa in a tube I get from my local supermarket. If you can’t find harissa see the variations for alternatives.
- 3 eggs
- 1-2 tablespoons harissa paste
- 2 tablespoons cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- toasted almonds to serve
- salad leaves to serve
- Heat a small frying pan on a medium heat. Combine eggs, harissa, cream and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Stir with a fork until just mixed.
- Add butter to the warm pan. When it starts to foam and sizzle, add eggs. Leave to cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until you can see the egg around the edges of the pan starting to set. Stir gently to scoop all the cooked egg into the middle and allow the runny egg to ooze down onto the bottom of the hot pan.
- Cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute until most of the egg is set but there’s still a little runny egg on top (it will continue to cook after you remove it from the heat).
- Pour harissa eggs onto a plate. Top with almonds and salad leaves. Serve immediately.
Variations & Substitutions
no harissa – make your own or use your favourite hot sauce (adjust quantities according to taste) or use 1 tablespoon tomato paste and some chopped fresh red chilli or dried chilli powder. Finely chopped Chipotle chillies in adobo sauce would be lovely too.
vegan – try adding 1-2 tablespoons harissa to this scrambled tofu. And use oil instead of butter.
dairy-free – use oil instead of butter and water or your favourite non-dairy milk instead of the cream.
more substantial (carb lovers) – warm pita bread, tortillas or hot buttered toast.
more substantial (low carb) – extra almonds, crumble over some feta, serve with more substantial low cab veg like wilted greens or some roast spiced cauliflower.
Low FODMAP – replace almonds with macadamias.
carnivore – serve with crispy bacon, spicy sausage or spanish chorizo.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
eggs – will keep in the fridge for weeks or use for another meal.
harissa / almonds – keep it in the pantry.
cream – unopened cartons will generally keep in the fridge for a few weeks. If you need to store for longer, just pop in the freezer in a sealed container. Or freeze in icecube trays so you can easily defrost just what you need.
butter – will keep in the fridge for weeks.
salad leaves – are highly perishable. My first path would be to use them for another meal (salad for breakfast!) but if that isn’t possible you can pop them in the freezer. They will wilt down but can then be used anywhere you’d use wilted greens. At least this way they won’t go slimy.
Prepare Ahead
Best when freshly made! Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks and eaten cold. Don’t freeze.