Portuguese Fried Eggs with Grilled Halloumi, Chorizo and Zhoug

If you’re looking for the perfect over-easy egg, you’ve found it: chorizo and eggs. Make Portuguese Fried Eggs in the leftover drippings from fried chorizo. This provides a glistening coating of natural oils and deep flavors in which the eggs dance while cooking until the edges reach the perfect crispiness.

Portuguese-Influenced Fried Eggs

Mediterra Cafe Executive Chef Aniceto Sousa says, “We grew up eating these ingredients. My mom would make Portuguese chorizo and eggs, crispy around the edges and with a dippy yolk, to eat with bread. That was our really simple, easy Saturday morning breakfast.”

Along with the Chorizo and Eggs, Sousa serves a grilled halloumi cheese, which is a perfect accompaniment to this traditional Iberian breakfast dish. The zhoug sauce adds a contemporary herbiness to the whole affair.

Portuguese Fried Eggs with Grilled Halloumi, Chorizo and Zhoug

---

• Author: Chef Aniceto Sousa

Print Recipe

Description

Travel around the world just by changing up your breakfast table. 

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For zhoug sauce:

1. ½ cup parsley
2. 1 cup cilantro
3. 2 garlic cloves
4. ½ tsp ground cumin
5. ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
6. 1 tsp salt
7. 2 wax peppers
8. 4 tbsp rice wine vinegar

For eggs:

1. 1 package (1 lb) fresh Spanish chorizo
2. 4 eggs
3. Salt, pepper, and smoke paprika
4. 4 tbsp canola oil
5. 1 package (250 grams) of halloumi cheese, sliced into 4 equal slices

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

For zhoug sauce:

1. Combine all ingredients in blender. Puree until smooth, set aside.

For eggs:

1. Slice chorizo into ½-inch slices on the bias.
2. Heat sauté pan with 2 tablespoons canola oil over medium heat. Fry chorizo until crisp on both sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove and keep warm.
3. Fry eggs sunny-side up in leftover chorizo renderings and oil to preferred doneness, seasoning with salt, pepper, and sprinkle of smoked paprika.
4. In separate nonstick sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons canola oil to high heat. Pat slices of halloumi with paper towel to dry and add to oil to sear cheese until crisp on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and heat second side until cheese is completely heated through and crisp. Remove to paper towels.

For plating:

1. Smear spoonful of sauce across platter top with eggs, halloumi, and chorizo. Serve with bread.

Recipe by Chef Aniceto Sousa
Styling by Keith Recker
Photography by Dave Bryce

Subscribe to TABLE Magazine’s print edition.