Ok, so I don’t really follow food trends. I don’t do something because someone tells me to. I do it because it sounds good to me and because I want to. You may call that stubborn. I call that smart.
But also a little stubborn, yes.
I’ve heard about and seen pictures/recipes of baked eggs in avocado for years. And it has never, not once, sounded good. Warm avocado just isn’t appealing to me… I mean, I love the idea that apparently you could crack an egg to fit perfectly inside of the avocado hole. That was a pretty cool notion. But just because something fits in a hole does not mean it needs to be there. I can fit in my dryer but I don’t make a habit of filling that space.
And yet, I still see pictures and recipes everywhere about this whole baked egg in avocado business. So the other day, after my workout, I decided to give it a try. I did something I rarely do- follow directions. And guess what? It didn’t work. Not a bit. The egg whites spilled all over and under the avocado (because, as suspected, it wasn’t a perfect fit), it baked for three times as long as the recipes suggested, and not one bit of the whites began to actually turn white. And by the time it did end up being done, it was all just very… I dunno… warm and soft.
So, I changed it. And made it better.
You’re welcome.
BROILED EGG IN AVOCADO
(We’re broiling this sucker! And it’s sooo much better! Not only is it done in less time, but the inside of the avocado remains as it should- still all avocadoey and stuff- but the top gets a lovely caramelized crust on it. It’s such a lovely texture combination.)
Slice a ripe, but still relatively firm haas avocado in half, remove the pit. Scoop out a good 2 TB worth of avocado flesh around the hole, making it larger (WIDER, NOT DEEPER!) to accommodate the egg. Eat that scooped out avocado flesh. Obvi.
Place avocado half, flesh side up, in a baking dish (I line mine with foil for easy clean-up in case of any egg white spillage.)
Season the avocado well with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
Carefully crack 1 large egg into the avocado hole.
Season the egg part with more kosher salt and black pepper.
Place directly under the broiler in your oven and broil for 3-5 minutes, checking periodically. I do not know your broiler situation and how far away the food is from it, how high it goes, etc., but just keep an eye out on it.
It’s done when all the whites have set and firmed up. Jiggle the pan to be sure, as the whites underneath could still be runny even if the tops appear done.
Season with hot sauce, a squirt of lemon parsley, and/or green onions… whatever you’d like! But for sure garnish with some sort of acid or bright element to balance out the round richness of the egg and avocado. In my humble opinion.
Serve warm. And often.
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