6.17.16 Thai Style Fried Egg Salad
If you’ve been following my recent posts regarding our CSA, you know that this week, we’re in for a lot of salad. Let’s be honest, we’ve been eating copious amounts of salad for awhile now - it’s sortof what one does this time of year, when greens abound - but this week in particular, we’re looking at some serious salad eating. What else can you do when a big, beautiful head of lettuce nearly the size of your child arrives in your CSA box?
As someone who loves a good salad, I’ve got no problem with this. If I’m starting with good, fresh, ingredients, practically any salad is going to make me happy. Whether it’s incredibly simple, or full of complex flavors, lettuce based, or other, a good salad is one of the easiest ways to showcase all of the gorgeous fresh produce we seem to find ourselves surrounded in. Not to mention, most salads require minimal cooking - a godsend when temps are high and your house has no central air.
This salad though. It’s fantastic. It was inspired by one I had once at Sujeo and couldn’t stop thinking about. So this superabundance of salad-making materials we’re currently experiencing seemed like as good an excuse as any to stop dreaming about said salad, and make it into reality.
And the reality is, it’s pretty simple to make, and with fantastic results to boot. Lettuce, crunchy carrots and snap peas, plenty of fresh herbs, a spicy, flavor-packed dressing, and most importantly, fried eggs. Super crispy fried eggs - the best kind. This salad, you guys. It makes me hope we never run out of lettuce.
Thai Style Fried Egg Salad
Serves 2
Salad
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 2 eggs
- 4 cups lettuce leaves
- ⅓ cup carrots, julienned
- ⅓ cup cucumber, julienned
- ⅓ cup snap peas, thinly sliced
- 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp fresh mint, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves
Dressing
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1-2 thai chiles, finely sliced (optional)
1. Heat oil in a wok or medium pan over medium high heat. Once oil is extremely hot (almost beginning to smoke) carefully crack in the eggs. It’s a good idea to crack them close to the surface of the oil to avoid any splatter. Cook eggs, flipping once, until crispy and golden on both sides. Remove eggs from pan, and reserve 2 Tbsp of the oil.
2. Make the dressing by combining the 2 reserved Tbsp of oil with all of the dressing ingredients and whisking well to combine. Pour dressing into the bottom of a large bowl.
3. Slice the fried eggs crosswise into approximately 4 pieces each. Add to the bowl with the dressing, along with the lettuce, carrots, cucumber, snap peas, shallot, and half of the mint and cilantro. Toss to coat everything well with the dressing, then transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle the remaining mint and cilantro on top and serve immediately.
