5 Ingredients or Fewer

Julia Turshen's Olive Oil-Fried Eggs With Yogurt & Lemon

September 27, 2017
4.3
33 Ratings
Photo by Bobbi Lin
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 5 minutes
  • Serves 1, but easily multiplied
Author Notes

When was the last time you got a brand new egg routine? Not just an experiment, but an egg delivery method that was truly quick, repeatable, and satisfying enough to make it into the rotation (and displace the regulars)?

This is your moment! Memorize this recipe, and it will reshape your morning, or night, or right now. Adapted slightly from Small Victories (Chronicle, 2016). —Genius Recipes

What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
Julia Turshen's Olive Oil-Fried Eggs With Yogurt & Lemon
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) plain yogurt (Greek or not, your choice)
  • 1/2 lemon
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon roughly chopped leafy fresh herbs, such as basil, dill, chervil, chives, and/or parsley
Directions
  1. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt and a big squeeze of juice from the lemon half (don’t discard the lemon half) and whisk together. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and adjust the lemon to taste, too. Scrape the mixture onto a plate and spread and swoop it so the yogurt covers most of the plate.
  2. In a nonstick skillet over medium high heat, warm the olive oil. Crack the eggs into the pan and sprinkle each egg with a bit of salt and pepper. Sprinkle a few drops of water (less than a teaspoon) into the skillet, being sure to let the water hit the bottom of the pan and not the eggs, and immediately, carefully cover the pan with a lid or the bottom of another wide, lightweight pan.
  3. Let the eggs cook until the whites are cooked through but the yolks are still a bit wobbly, just a minute or two. Transfer the eggs to the prepared plate, setting them on top of the yogurt, then pour the remaining olive oil from the pan over the top. Squeeze whatever juice remains in the lemon half and scatter over the herbs. Serve immediately.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Laurel Wyckoff
    Laurel Wyckoff
  • Mame Noonan
    Mame Noonan
  • amy
    amy
  • Rochelle Winston Davies
    Rochelle Winston Davies
  • Rachel Mural
    Rachel Mural
Genius Recipes

Recipe by: Genius Recipes

47 Reviews

Laurel W. May 8, 2024
This is so delicious I have been sending the recipe to my single friends.
 
Laurel W. May 8, 2024
Also added roasted garlic powder and chili crisp today. I wish I had made 2 eggs instead of one.
 
cosmiccook July 24, 2023
I like the yogurt twist--sometimes eggs aren't enough and we're trying to adhere to Glucose Goddess's recommendation for savory breakfast. I always sprinkle smoked paprika & garlic on our eggs as we love the taste and health benefits of both. I also use Farmers cheese.
 
Rochelle W. July 24, 2023
Great ideas!! I love to sprinkle garlic and Chipotle powder but since I’m also a fan of smoked paprika, I will definitely give this a try.
 
cosmiccook July 24, 2023
Paprika is reputed to be heart healthy but we just plain love it (along w garlic), but hey we're from N.O. and we put garlic in just about everything.
 
Mame N. December 29, 2021
Absolutely delicious. I have added it to my breakfast rotation. I didn't make any changes to the recipe but I do enjoy it with a piece of homemade sourdough toast.
 
amy December 28, 2021
I'm mad for this recipe and currently have it on repeat. Today I added some turmeric to the oil - tossed on an absurd amount of chopped dill and topped with some pickled red onions - gorgeous to look at and insanely delicious!
 
Mame N. November 9, 2021
Excellent and easy! I used my well seasoned cast iron pan and brought the eggs and yogurt to room temperature first. Delicious and reminds me of eggs Benedict without the meat.
 
Rochelle W. December 26, 2020
I absolutely love making this; it has become a favorite of mine and on a real lazy evening when I just don’t want to do much in the kitchen, this has been known to be my dinner. Great idea and what a good use of the myriad of Meyer lemons I get every year from my tree.
 
Rachel M. June 24, 2020
I made this for breakfast this morning. I used fresh thyme and parsley, and the only change I would make would be too add more of the herbs, because they really complemented the tangy yogurt. Wonderful with some good bread to dredge the yogurt/yolk at the end. Delicious! Definitely will be making it again :)
 
Rachel M. June 24, 2020
Also - it may be worth noting after reading some comments - I think the kind of yogurt you use really matters here, despite what the recipe says. I used some better quality, thick Greek yogurt and it was perfect
 
LM May 28, 2020
Wow, this was good. The eggs, olive oil and yogurt make for a delicious, silky combination. I snipped basil and chive blossoms over it, and it was as beautiful as it was tasty.
 
CSM March 1, 2020
I just made this for breakfast and it was yummy! This is a keeper for a special quick and easy brunch. Thank you Food 52
 
Matt M. February 27, 2020
And here I thought I discovered steam basting. Oh, well. It's a good technique.
 
Alura728 September 16, 2019
Our taste buds were screaming Yum!
 
jbfalise January 12, 2019
Made this for breakfast with my daughter: very light, refreshing and tasty. A welcome change from the everyday. ❤️
 
Karen October 17, 2018
All those thoughts that scream “eggs and yogurt don’t go together”?? Listen. To. Them. I love yogurt and I love eggs, but never together again.
 
kathleen September 26, 2018
I didn't understand what the excitement was about. Good, but not the 4th of July.
 
Natalia S. July 6, 2018
I’m very excited about this recipe, as all the ingredients listed are a big favourites of mine. But, am I missing something? It says the prep time is 10 hours. Please help! Is that just a simple mistake, or I missed something in the description?
 
Kristen M. July 6, 2018
Hi Natalia, that was definitely wrong—this couldn't be quicker to make. I've fixed it!
 
Bob Q. January 24, 2019
It includes the time allowance for chicken laying the egg! LOL!
 
Rita V. June 25, 2018
First time I made this... my knees went weak. Good for breakfast. Lunch. Or dinner...
 
Kathryn R. May 23, 2018
Absolutely terrific..I tried this and served it to my younger son and he said it was 'state of the art' as far as egg dishes go!!The whole dish topped with chives,parley,basil(from my garden)was so delish!! I had a peach/mango type of yogurt so next time I shall buy for the occasion just plain!! Thank you so for this interesting and nourishing recipe..WE are truly fans!!! They(the egg dish) began our day so nicely!!!
 
Noor S. February 1, 2018
Must say that I started out very skeptical about this combination and the recipe because of how simple it was. So pleasantly surprised! It's delicious and very satisfying without being heavy. I added some arugula. Will be repeating this for sure!
 
Rita V. June 25, 2018
OMG, same here. I was SUPER skeptical... Now that all my herbs are up and out, going for it again. It is such a transformative dish!
 
W J. January 22, 2018
Here is another tip on serving eggs for breakfast including this dish. Make your toast, if serving it, first thing. Then put your serving plate(s) with the toast on top of the toaster, pushing the empty toaster to start another cycle if necessary. This will warm the plate(s) and keep the toast...well, toasty, while you complete your other preparations.

If I have more than one plate for service, I try to swap the top and bottom (empty) plates occasionally. Be careful for the plates can get too warm to touch, and you do not want to burn yourself or to drop hot plates. Use a pot rag, a napkin, or dishtowel for safety when handling and filling the warmed plates for service.

Also, I add dill, fresh if I have it, to this dish for something a little different.
 
Caryl January 22, 2018
I loved it! I agree that it tasted like a hollandaise sauce. I used "OUI" French style yogurt by Yoplait and it was less tart then other plain yogurts I've tried.
Served it with a sprinkle of parsley, Feta slices and, blackberries . Dinner next time, maybe over angel hair pasta?
 
Beth C. March 20, 2019
I had it with leftover Lebanese style brown rice pilaf. Delicious!