This 20 minute Smoked Salmon Breakfast With Poached Eggs recipe combines perfectly poached eggs, a herby and lemony savory yogurt and ribbons of smoked salmon.
I love this high protein salmon bowl as a Sunday morning breakfast, brunch or a lunch when I’m working from home. It's loaded with protein, fiber, and good fats for sustained energy release, keeping it PCOS and perimenopause friendly.
It only takes 20 minutes to cook so I can relax and enjoy it or quickly get back to work as needed.
If you enjoy this recipe you might like this Frittata For One or my Salmon Frittata recipe. Learn more here about my Personal Journey Through Perimenopause.
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Why This Recipe Works
It's so full of flavor and goodness that it just leaves your body feeling nourished, sustained and ready to get things done!
This smoked salmon breakfast recipe centers around protein and healthy fats so it's great for PCOS and perimenopause.
Another ingredient I often include is baby spinach. It's so easy to include, and it's filled with things like magnesium, iron and extra fiber for added hormone support. A perimenopausal mom's best friend!
I learnt a lot about supporting PCOS through diet and lifestyle at IIN. This has been helpful because I have family members with PCOS who’ve needed advice around nutritional support.
How I Poach Eggs
When I was training to be a chef at Silwood Kitchens in Cape Town, the skill of poaching eggs made many students tremble. Luckily, there are loads of ways to poach eggs that don't require floating eggs in a whirlpool of water making it even easier to make your smoked salmon breakfast bowl. If you want to use an egg poacher or know how to poach eggs in a microwave, go for it!
I love to poach mine the old-fashioned way, like I learned in culinary school: in a little pot with gently swirling, simmering water and a little vinegar.
Some things to keep in mind:
- The eggs need to be super fresh to hold together, otherwise you will end up with wispy, streaky egg whites.
- I prefer to use room temperature eggs because they have a better chance of cooking evenly.
- White wine vinegar works best. Traditional balsamic will color the eggs and apple cider vinegar has a less neutral flavor profile.
- Use simmering NOT boiling water. What’s the difference? Simmering water produces fewer bubbles, which helps the eggs maintain their shape. Whereas a rolling boil is more likely to result in a messy poached egg.
- Don’t salt the water; it will break up the egg structure. You can add seasoning once it's cooked.
- I crack my egg into a ladle or ramekin before dropping it into the water.
Just a side note that this is how I was taught to poach eggs in a French style culinary school. There are loads of different methods out there.
How to Poach Eggs: A Mini Guide
I recommend starting out by poaching one egg at a time.
- Bring the water to a gentle, simmering boil with 1 teaspoon of vinegar in 2-3 cups of water.
- Create a gentle whirlpool: swirl the back of a spoon in circular motions in the pot until you see a small whirlpool form.
- Just as the whirlpool starts to fade, drop in your egg. It should keep swirling around a few times until the outside is white. By the time the whirlpool dies down, your poached egg should be gently firm.
- Lift it out with a slotted spoon and pop it onto kitchen paper to drain a little while you cook the second egg.
Poached Egg Timings
Timings will vary depending on the size of your egg but here is a basic guide:
| Runny yolk, classic poached, soft white | 2½ to 3 minutes , as per my photo |
| Medium / jammy yolk, slightly thickened, still creamy | 3½ to 4 minutes |
| Hard poached, fully set yolk | 5 to 6 minutes |
Poaching Eggs: Troubleshooting
The number one issue likely to trip you up is using a not-so-fresh egg. If the whites of your egg seem to disappear, it's because they aren't fresh enough to poach.
Ingredients
No recipe is complete without just the right ingredients, so for this smoked salmon breakfast with poached eggs, I like to begin with:
- Eggs: when poaching eggs, I like mine runny in the center but I know a lot of people who prefer their eggs poached hard.
- Salmon: I've used smoked salmon here but you can use trout or cold poached or baked salmon.
- Garlic: for antioxidants and flavor. You can absolutely leave it out.
- Yogurt: to keep your gut nurtured while adding another extra boost of protein and calcium. I love to use this high protein, traditionally made yogurt from The Gourmet Greek.
- Edamame beans: very high in fiber and plant protein, making them great for perimenopause.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Step 1: Get all those ingredients together and zest your lime or lemon. Prepare your edamame beans if using them and cool.
Step 2: Begin with infusing the olive oil with the garlic and lemon zest.
Step 3: Toast the mustard and cumin seeds and add to a food processor with the other yogurt ingredients.
Step 4: Blend the yogurt mixture.
Step 5: Lastly, poach the eggs and assemble the breakfast bowl.
Hint: make the yogurt mix for this smoked salmon breakfast recipe ahead of time to save you time in the morning. An added bonus to this is that you get even more flavor infused into your yogurt sauce!
Substitutions And Variations
What I truly love about this smoked salmon breakfast recipe is that it's versatile and can easily be scaled up by multiplying the number of servings.
Substitutions
Some ingredients I like to add in or swap out are:
- Use lemon juice instead of lime juice.
- Add poached salmon instead of smoked.
- For a vegetarian option, switch out the salmon for marinated and sautéed shiitake mushrooms.
- Instead of mustard seeds, you could use wholegrain Dijon mustard.
- Try adding black cumin seeds in place of ordinary cumin seeds.
- Use chickpeas in place of the edamame beans.
Variations
- Include some greens, like steamed asparagus or sautéed zucchini for added fiber.
- Add some organic chili seeds in when your dry fry the mustard and cumin seeds.
- Serve with some thinly sliced red and yellow peppers for added antioxidants and extra fiber.
- Sprinkle with all your favorite nuts, seeds, herbs and microgreens! I love a good salad in the morning, you guys.
Equipment
This is another high protein breakfast bowl that doesn't require a lot of equipment.
A small pan, a pot, a cutting board, a knife and a blender or small food processor to make your yogurt sauce. That's it and you're ready to make your smoked salmon breakfast.
Storage
Poached eggs are best fresh, but you can prepare your yogurt sauce and all other ingredients ahead of time.
Keep them stored in the fridge for 2 to 3 days and assemble when you're ready to enjoy your smoked salmon breakfast.
Top Tips
- Don't skip swirling the water before adding your eggs.
- You don't want to add too much vinegar or it will impact the taste of your poached eggs.
- Keep a small jar of infused oil available to drizzle over your favorite savory high protein breakfast bowls.
- Serve with toasted sourdough or ciabatta.
FAQ
I prefer to only poach 1 or 2 eggs at a time to maintain the best shape.
That depends. If the eggs are fresh and I'm cooking in a hurry, I don't strain them first.
Yes, you can absolutely use low fat or dairy free yogurt for this smoked salmon breakfast recipe.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Breakfast
Smoked Salmon Breakfast With Poached Eggs (High Protein)
Ingredients
- 2 TBS Large eggs (poached)
- 1 teaspoon White wine vinegar
- 3 oz (80g) Smoked salmon slices
- ½ cup Shelled edamame beans (boiled or steamed)
- ½ cup Greek yogurt (unsweetened, full fat for extra protein)
- 1 teaspoon Fresh ginger, grated
- 1 TBS Olive oil or avocado oil
- ½ teaspoon Mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 1 Garlic clove
- Zest of ½ lemon or lime
- 1 TBS Fresh lime juice or lemon juice
- 2 TBS Fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
- Microherbs, for garnish (optional)
- Pinch of salt & black pepper
Instructions
Infuse The Oil
- Heat the olive (or avocado) oil in a small pan over medium heat and add the garlic clove and lemon zest. Cook for a minute.
- Remove from heat, discard the garlic clove. Allow oil to cool slightly.
Make The Yogurt Sauce
- Toast the mustard and cumin seeds in a dry pan until they begin to pop.
- In a blender or small food processor, combine the infused oil, Greek yogurt, ginger, chopped coriander, mustard and cumin seeds, lime juice, a pinch of salt and black pepper.
- Blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
Poach The Eggs
- Bring a pot of water to a gentle simmer with a splash of vinegar (optional). Create a gentle whirlpool by swirling the water with the back of a wooden spoon.
- Crack each egg into a small ramekin, then gently slide into the water.
- Cook for 3–4 minutes, until whites are set but yolks are runny. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
Assemble The Bowl
- Spread the yogurt-coriander sauce on the base of a shallow bowl.
- Arrange smoked salmon slices and edamame beans around the edges.
- Place the two poached eggs on top.
- Garnish with microherbs and an extra drizzle of infused oil if you like.
Notes
- Runny yolk (classic poached, soft white): 2½ to 3 minutes , as per my photo
- Medium / jammy yolk (slightly thickened, still creamy): 3½ to 4 minutes
- Hard poached (fully set yolk): 5 to 6 minutes
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