Sumac eggs are a delicious way to jazz up your morning fried eggs. Dried sumac is the main spice used in fattoush and musakhan sumac chicken rolls, but it's equally as delicious on fried eggs. These 5-minute olive oil fried eggs can be made runny, well done, or somewhere in the middle.
My father has made these fried sumac eggs my entire life. My favorite way to eat these olive oil fried eggs is with some fresh Lebanese pita bread, fresh mint, Persian cucumbers, and ripe tomatoes.
What I Love About This Recipe
I make this recipe at least a few times a week, it's that good! These sumac fried eggs are a 5-minute breakfast that tastes phenomenal with some free-range (or farm-fresh) eggs and high-quality extra virgin olive oil (loving the Greek 365 oil from WholeFoods right now). This is my favorite recipe for farm fresh eggs because the quality of the egg really makes a difference.
Ingredient Notes
- Free-range, farm-fresh, or "happy chicken" eggs: Eggs from responsibly raised pasture roaming chickens. This recipe will be as good as the eggs you've got.
- Dried sumac: Sumac is starting to pop up in some big branch grocery stores, but if you can't find it, check Amazon or a local Middle Eastern grocery store.
- High-quality olive oil: I'm really loving the WholeFoods 365 organic Greek extra virgin olive oil right now.
- Salt: My favorite salt to use is Maldon's flaked sea salt. It's a bit of a splurge but has a nice texture.
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for quantities.
How To Make Sumac Eggs
In a nonstick skillet on high heat, add the olive oil. Wait about 30 seconds to 1 minute for the olive oil to heat up. Swirl the pan with the olive so the surface is fully coated. Once the olive oil is hot, crack the eggs into the pan.
Hint: It's perfectly ok if a yolk breaks like below.
Allow the eggs to cook until the egg whites cook through (about 2 minutes). Once the egg whites have cooked through, season with salt and sumac spice. If desiring runny egg yolks, do not cover with a lid.
If desiring the eggs to cook through fully (no runny yolk), turn the heat to medium and cover with a lid (about 2 more minutes).
Remove from the stove once the eggs reach the desired consistency. Serve immediately.
Tips and Tricks
- Use a nonstick skillet: The best nonstick skillets are either a nonstick frying pan or seasoned cast iron skillet for frying eggs. If you only have a stainless steel frying pan, make sure the olive oil fully coats the bottom of the pan to prevent the eggs from sticking to the surface.
- High-quality ingredients: Because this recipe is so simple, the quality of the ingredients really matters. I recommend high-quality eggs and olive oil to make this recipe perfectly.
- Add the sumac and salt once the egg whites are cooked through. This guarantees that the sumac and salt sit on top of the egg whites. Otherwise, the sumac will cook into the egg whites and not have a bright color.
Variations and Substitutions
I prefer using olive oil for frying these sumac eggs, however other fats can be used as well. I've made these fried sumac eggs with butter, ghee, coconut oil, and avocado oil and the eggs fried up well. My reason for using olive is purely because I like the taste of olive oil when pairing it with sumac.
Equipment
Prepare sumac fried eggs in a nonstick skillet or seasoned cast iron skillet. Once the eggs are finished frying, remove the eggs from the skillet using a spatula. Alternatively, eat the eggs straight out of the pan family style.
Best Ways To Eat Fried Eggs
- Fresh Lebanese pita bread: Separate the thin Lebanese pita bread and break off a "chip sized" portion. Using your hands with the pita bread, scoop up the eggs.
- On toasted sliced bread: Using a spatula, separate each eggs from one another. Scoop one cooked sunny side up egg onto one toasted slice of bread.
- With hash browns or roasted potatoes: This gluten-free option is a great way to eat fried eggs with a carbohydrate source other than bread. I recommend preparing the potatoes prior to the eggs. I've made these eggs with homemade hash browns, roasted golden potatoes, and roasted cubed sweet potatoes.
FAQs
Sunny side up: The egg is fried with a runny yolk. The egg is not flipped.
Over easy: The egg is flipped onto the egg yolk side for a brief time. The yolk is still runny.
Over medium: The egg is flipped onto the egg yolk side for a moderate time. The yolk is slightly runny.
Over well: The egg is flipped onto the egg yolk side for an equal time. The egg yolk is cooked through.
There are 3 options for cooking through an egg yolk: flip the egg and cook it over well, pierce the egg yolk in the cooking process, and cover the skillet with a lid on medium heat.
Yes, however like any fat, there is a smoke point. Make sure the butter doesn't burn prior to adding the egg to the pan.
A sunny side-up egg is a fried egg that has the whites cooked but the yolk runny.
Over easy eggs are sunny side up eggs that have been flipped over onto the yolk side for a brief amount of time. In both cases, sunny side up eggs and over easy eggs have runny yolks.
If the egg is contaminated with salmonella, it's unsafe. Pregnant women and children should take precautions when consuming raw meats and eggs.
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Sumac Eggs
Ingredients
- 4 farm fresh free-range, or "happy chicken" eggs
- 1½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried sumac spice
- salt to taste
Instructions
- In a nonstick skillet on high heat, add the olive oil. Let the olive oil to get hot for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Swirl the oil around in the pan to coat the surface evenly.
- Crack the eggs into the hot oil. If desiring runny sunny side up eggs, cook until the eggs whites are cooked through (about 2 minutes). If desiring a cooked egg yolk, turn the heat to medium and cover with a lid (about 4 minute total cook time). Remove from the stovetop once the eggs are cooked to desired consistency.
- Season with salt and sumac spice. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Substitute equal parts butter, coconut oil, avocado oil, and ghee in lieu of olive oil if desired. For example, substitute 1.5 tablespoon of butter for 1.5 tablespoon of olive oil.
- The nutrition doesn't account for hash browns or bread.
- Season the eggs with sumac and salt once the egg whites have cooked through.
Jason
A nice way of changing up the traditional sunny side up egg.
Lily
And try it with some Lebanese pita bread.