Huevos Rancheros
A ranch-hand breakfast built to last until lunch: fried eggs over crisp tortillas, smothered in a quick charred tomato-chilli salsa.
- Time
- 25 mins
- Serves
- 2
- Steps
- 7
- Ingredients
- 9
Method
- 01
Char the whole tomatoes, chilli, onion and unpeeled garlic in a dry pan over high heat until blistered and blackened in patches, about 8 minutes.
- 02
Peel the garlic and blitz everything together with a good pinch of salt into a loose, rustic salsa.
- 03
Pour the salsa back into the pan and simmer for 5 minutes to deepen the flavour.
- 04
In a separate pan, shallow fry the tortillas in oil for about 30 seconds a side, until they firm up but still bend.
- 05
Fry the eggs in the same oil, spooning it over the whites so the edges crisp while the yolks stay soft.
- 06
Spread the tortillas with refried beans, slide an egg onto each, then ladle the warm salsa around the yolk.
- 07
Finish with coriander and eat immediately, while the tortilla still has some crunch.
Cooking Tips
- Char the vegetables for the salsa properly. The blackened patches are where the smoky flavour comes from.
- Fry the tortillas just until they firm up but still bend, about 30 seconds a side.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Tinned tomatoes can replace fresh when tomatoes are poor, though you lose the char.
- Black beans work in place of refried beans.
What to Serve With It
- Serve immediately with coriander, lime and extra salsa.
Storage and Reheating
- The salsa keeps 4 days in the fridge and is worth making ahead. Assemble and fry the eggs to order.
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