Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon

If I could only choose one breakfast to eat for the rest of my life, it would be Eggs Benedict. Sure, I wouldn’t be able to move after a while as the hollandaise alone is enough to make me gain weight by just looking at it, but I almost don’t mind. There is just something about the silky, butteriness of hollandaise that makes up for the fact that it’s so fattening. When I eat hollandaise I feel very much like Julie Powell in Julie&Julia when she says eating an egg is like eating white sauce. It has that same velvety texture and delicate flavour, and that is exactly what hollandaise is to me. The fact that I can whip it up within a minute with my hand blender also adds to it’s appeal.

When Mediterranean Delicacies sent me a pack of their smoked salmon, I was excited to use it as smoked salmon is one of my all-time favourite ingredients. I instantly thought of about 10 different ways I could showcase the salmon but wanted to stick to something classic and simple. I first thought of doing a traditional bagel & lox but settled on the Eggs Benedict simply because I wanted a reason to make it again. The smoked salmon worked perfectly with the lemony-buttery hollandaise and the soft poached eggs. I decided to toast the English muffins to add some texture and also added extra lemon to the hollandaise to really cut through the richness of the salmon. This is a stunning breakfast that is sure to impress your guests!

Serves 4

4 English muffins, halved and toasted
8 eggs, poached or fried (I often cook eggs by poach-frying them. I break the eggs into a hot pan and as soon as the whites are slightly set I add boiling water. The end result is a egg that has the same, soft texture as poached eggs but it’s much easier to do.)
200g Mediterranean Delicacies Smoked Salmon
for the hollandaise
3 extra-large, egg yolks
150g butter, melted
juice of 1 lemon
salt to taste (if the butter is salted you will probably won’t need to season the sauce)

1. Top the toasted English muffins with the smoked salmon ribbons.
2. Top the smoked salmon with the poached eggs.
3. To make the hollandaise, place the egg yolks and lemon juice in a tall container and blend with your hand blender.
4. Whilst blending, slowly drizzle the melted butter into the egg mixture while moving the blender up and down. Continue blending until all the butter has been incorporated and the sauce is thick and glossy. Check the seasoning and adjust.
5. Spoon the hollandaise over the poached eggs and serve.