Cooking eggs is often one of the first things you learn when you’re learning to cook, but while a fried egg seems simple, elevating it to the next level is often deceptively hard. When it comes to frying eggs, most of us know the basics: gently crack, heat with a spray of oil, maybe even flip if you’re feeling fancy. But Michelin-starred chef José Andrés has elevated the humble fried egg to a whole new level with a deceptively simple but game-changing method that creates crispy and crackling edges, but inside has the texture of a poached egg.
His method of shallow frying, using heaps of olive oil, may not be the healthiest, but it is perhaps the most delicious – one that promises crisply laced whites and a yolk so runny it practically begs for toast. While you may think the key to a perfect egg is all about religiously watching your timer, or perhaps even trying to lock in some steam, Andres manages to skip all that, leaving the hot oil to work its magic.
Trying the Michelin-starred technique, cooking influencer Eat Like an Adult said: “I know José Andres didn’t invent the fried egg, but he’s known for and popularised this specific type of olive oil fried egg, of which many cultures have a version.
“I love the flavour and the way it puffs up with the addition of having crispy bits.”
The key to the technique is using a small-based pan like a saucepan or a deep frying pan to ensure that there is plenty of olive oil to cover the egg – think of it like half poaching in oil.
Next, it is important to keep basting the egg with the hot oil, as it will allow the whites to properly set and avoid any of the snotty white that sends shivers down your spine.
Andrés tilts the pan so the olive oil pools, and uses a spoon to gently ladle the oil over the edges of the white and around the yolk.
This does two important things: it cooks the white from above without disturbing the yolk, and it crisps the edges beautifully without burning.
Eat like an adult added: “The Jose Andres perfect fried egg, I just think these eggs are incredible, they end up being a mix between like a fried egg and a poached egg. What a delight.”
The difference between standard frying and Jose’s methods is also the white separation. Adding the raw eggs into the hot oil causes the whites to set almost instantly and, therefore, is shaped much more like a poached egg, offering a protective layer around the yolk.
While some people worry about frying in olive oil due to its lower smoking point, shallow frying at a lower heat can be okay. The chef added: “Contrary to popular belief, extra virgin olive oil is perfectly good to shallow fry like this.”
The recipe
Here’s how to mimic José Andrés’s olive oil fried egg technique in your own kitchen:
- Use a generous amount of good-quality olive oil in a deep saucepan and heat it until it is shimmering. You want around half a centimetres layer.
- Crack an egg into the pan once the oil is hot.
- Let the white set slightly until the edges begin to look opaque.
- Tilt the pan so oil pools at one side, then use a spoon to baste the whites and edges, letting hot oil flow over them. This cooks from above without touching the yolk directly.
- Once the whites are fully set, but the yolk remains soft and runny, remove from heat and season with salt and pepper and place on a paper towel to soak up any excess oil.
