The first time I saw avocado toast, I couldn't help but think, "Mashed avocado on toast? How is that tasty?". Boy, was I wrong. The creamy avocado on a crisp toasted bread is the healthier, more filling version of butter on toast. Take a couple of extra steps by adding sliced cucumber, a layer of smoked salmon, a perfectly fried egg, and a dollop of pesto and you've elevated an avocado toast to gourmet status! You can even serve these as canapes for your next gathering.

Recipe

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Avocado Toast with Smoked Salmon

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: seafood

Servings: 2

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

• ¾ tablespoon butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 slices bread
• 1 avocado mashed
• salt and pepper
• juice of ½ lime
• ½ small cucumber thinly sliced
• 4 oz smoked salmon
• 1 tablespoon pesto

Instructions

• Heat ¾ tablespoon butter in nonstick pan over low heat. Melt the butter slowly; the butter should not foam or sizzle. Carefully crack the eggs into the pan, one by one. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 minutes or until the whites have solidified and the yolks have slightly thickened.
• Meanwhile, toast bread until golden brown. In a small bowl, combine the avocado with the lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Spread ½ avocado onto each toast followed by sliced cucumber and 2 oz smoked salmon.
• Slide egg onto prepared toasts. Season with salt and pepper and finish toasts with ½ tablespoon pesto per toast. Serve immediately.

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

Avocado toast is incredibly easy to make. The only tricky part is cooking a perfectly fried egg.

The following are several factors that play into cooking a perfect fried egg:

1. The freshness of the egg: You want to use fresh eggs when preparing fried eggs because they produce the best looking fried egg with a high centered yolk and a thick white.
2. Equipment: For the skillet, you want to use a nonstick pan to prevent the egg from sticking. I've also seen people use cast iron pans but I've always stuck to nonstick.
3. Cooking temperature: Stay on low heat to prevent the egg from getting rubbery and tough. The white cooks quicker than the yolk so you want to keep a steady heat.

There are two methods that I use to cook fried eggs, one being the one described in the recipe. I prefer cooking fried eggs using the method described above because the eggs always come out perfectly. Cooking the eggs in butter over low heat is a cross between frying and poaching the egg in butter. You want to cover the pan to help speed up the process of cooking the yolk.

The second method is to heat the butter or oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Once the butter or oil is hot, crack the eggs into the pan. Immediately reduce heat to low and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the whites are set. Flip the egg over and cook for another minute or until the yolks are to the desired degree of doneness. In this method, since you are not covering the pan, you have to flip the egg to cook the yolk. The presentation is not the same as the first method but you will still have a perfect fried egg.

Since I'm a fan of smoked salmon, fried eggs, avocado, and pesto, I already knew I would enjoy this breakfast. How can you beat such a solid combination? Try other variations of avocado toast by topping it with sliced radish, shredded Brussels sprouts, fresh crab meat, or bacon and tomato.

For more toast inspiration check out this fried egg tartine with braised kale!