POACHED EGG WITH SPRING ASPARAGUS
Find out how to cook perfectly poached eggs every time!
This is a quick and easy change to your traditional poached egg recipe. I used asparagus for this recipe, but you can choose any vegetable like broccolini or sweet potatoes.
INGREDIENTS:
2 large eggs, free-run
4 thin slices of smoked salmon
12 asparagus spears
4 fresh basil leaves, chopped
juice from half a lemon
1 tbsp preserved lemon rind, finely chopped**
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
sea salt and black pepper
METHOD:
Wash the asparagus and trim the bottoms by snapping them at the end. This will eliminate the most fibrous part of the stem
Bring a medium size pan to medium heat and add the olive oil, garlic, asparagus spears and half of the chopped basil
Sauté for 5-8 minutes or until the asparagus starts to soften but can still hold its shape
Add the lemon juice at the last minute of cooking
While the asparagus is cooking, you can start to prep your poached eggs
Cooking the perfect poached egg
Make sure your eggs are farm fresh! This is the most important part to remember as fresh eggs will hold together better
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. You want to see just a few bubbles forming on the bottom of the pot
Add 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
Crack the egg into a fine mesh sieve over a bowl to remove the extra thin whites. This reduces the amount of extra egg whites that might float around in the pot
Create a gentle swirl in the water and pour the egg into the middle of the swirl
Set your timer for 3 minutes
Remove the egg with a slotted spoon and make sure there is no extra water in the spoon
Place the poached egg on a paper towel to dab any extra water
Putting it all together
Place the garlic roasted asparagus on the plate
Add smoked salmon on the asparagus
Place the perfectly cooked poached egg over top of the salmon
Sprinkle with the rest of the basil, preserved lemons, salt and pepper
** If you do not have preserved lemons you can use the zest of 1 lemon.