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 Lebanese sumac eggs my entire life. My favorite way to eat these eggs is with some fresh Lebanese pita bread, fresh mint, Persian cucumbers, and ripe tomatoes.
Ingredient Notes
Sumac powder is a tangy spice made from ground sumac berries. It's gaining popularity, so you might be able to find it at your local grocery store. If not, check out a Middle Eastern grocery store or Amazon.
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.
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.
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.
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.
📋 Recipe
Lebanese Sumac Eggs
Ingredients
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.
Equipment
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 says
A nice way of changing up the traditional sunny side up egg.
Lily says
And try it with some Lebanese pita bread.