Ham and Egg Breakfast Muffin Melt
Toasted English muffins topped with pan-seared ham and soft-set eggs, finished with a squeeze of lemon to cut the richness. A quick stovetop breakfast that keeps the yolks tender.
- Total
- 16 min
- Prep 5 · Cook 11
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Toasting spices · Searing
- Sweet
- Stovetop
Instructions
-
Split the english muffins in half and cut the ham into 1 cm pieces. Zest half the lemon into a small bowl, then juice that half and set the juice aside.
~5 min
Zesting before juicing lets you remove the flavorful oils from the peel while it is still intact and easy to hold.
-
Melt 10 g butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Toast the english muffin halves cut-side down until golden, about 3 minutes, then set them on plates.
~3 min
Toasting the cut side develops browning and flavor while the butter helps the surface crisp rather than steam.
Toasting spices Toast the muffin cut-side down in butter over medium heat until deeply golden; watch closely because it can burn quickly.
-
Add the ham to the same pan and cook until the edges crisp and brown, about 3 minutes. Push the ham to one side of the pan.
~3 min
Cooking the ham until the edges crisp browns it and renders some fat, deepening flavor and texture.
Searing Sear the ham in a single layer without crowding so the edges crisp and brown; avoid stirring too often.
-
Add the remaining 5 g butter to the empty side of the pan. Crack in the eggs and cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks are still soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with the salt and black pepper.
~4 min
Medium heat sets the egg whites gently without toughening them or browning the bottoms before the yolks are ready.
Keep the pan at medium heat for the eggs: high heat toughens the whites and browns the bottoms before the yolks set.
If the egg whites set before the yolks are ready, cover the pan for the last minute so the tops cook gently.
-
Slide the ham and eggs onto the toasted english muffins. Spoon the reserved lemon juice over the eggs and scatter the lemon zest on top. Serve at once.
~1 min
Acid from the lemon juice cuts through the richness of the eggs and ham, balancing the dish.