The Flavorful Pantry Staple That Belongs On Your Fried Eggs

Fried eggs don't necessarily need any embellishment other than salt and pepper, but they're even better with a little dash of something extra — spiced up with Tabasco, smothered in salsa, or splashed with vinegar. Wait, what? Okay, so a vinegar cruet may not be something that everyone keeps on the breakfast table, but fried eggs and vinegar is a concept that's not unknown in Europe. If you try it, you'll soon see why this combination works so well — the acidity cuts right through the rich, fatty yolks, adding both flavor and balance. One way to enhance your eggs with vinegar is to pour it into the pan drippings and reduce it down into a sauce. If you enjoy the acidity, though, you can just add it directly to the eggs after they're cooked.

What type of vinegar goes best with eggs? Wine vinegar is always a good bet. You can use white wine vinegar for something more subtle, or red wine vinegar for a more robust flavor. Balsamic vinegar also goes great with eggs, while the trendy, tasty sherry vinegar makes for a flavorful drizzle. If you're a fan of zero-waste cooking and don't mind combining your vinegar with brine, check the back of your fridge for a jar of pickle juice and use this to season your eggs.

If you enjoy the taste of eggs and vinegar, you might also consider taking things up a notch and using both ingredients to make a delicious and nutritious breakfast salad. Our recipe calls for watercress, but you can also use arugula, romaine, iceberg lettuce, or even spinach. Make it with frisée lettuce and lardons, and you'll have a classic French salade Lyonnaise. These are typically topped with poached eggs, but there's no reason fried ones won't work.

While many salad recipes call for adding boiled eggs, the great thing about using fried eggs instead is that the yolks, especially if they're runny, combine with the vinegar to emulsify into a dressing. This is somewhat similar to how mayonnaise is made. Of course, you can also add oil if you like a thinner, less vinegary dressing. Better yet, cook some bacon in a pan, then use the grease to fry your eggs. Add the eggs, bacon, and grease to a bowl of greens along with a generous pour of vinegar, and you'll have yourself a wilted or Appalachian-style "kilt lettuce" salad.