How to Fry an Egg with Olive Oil

My favorite way of having eggs is fried. I don’t have them all too often (a couple of times a week), but an egg fried in olive oil along with a tomato salad is a perfectly balanced meal and so satisfying.

Eggs were a typical evening meal along with a tomato salad at our home and everywhere else in Greece. Both my grandmothers would make fried eggs at night as a quick meal. Tasty eggs from my grandmothers chickens were the best. Every morning we were sent to the chicken coop in the morning to check if the hens had laid any eggs and bring them to her.

Frying in olive oil results in a flavorful egg with crispy browned edges. Once it is ready sprinkle some salt and pepper and serve with a simple cucumber/tomato salad and a slice of whole wheat bread.

How many?

We’ve all heard the advice of avoiding eggs because of their cholesterol content, but actually it looks like the cholesterol in the yolk will likely not increase the cholesterol levels in your body.

Research on large groups of people has shown that eating one egg a day did not affect heart health negatively.  We now know that cholesterol in food is not necessarily associated with raising blood cholesterol. However, individuals who need to control their cholesterol levels should watch their intake. Generally three eggs a week should be fine. Putting cholesterol aside, eggs are rich in protein, a good source of vitamin D and the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, necessary for eye health.

And of course what you eat it with makes a difference: if you are having eggs for breakfast, have them with whole wheat bread and some fruit instead of bacon, or if you are having them for a light meal, add a salad.

Olive Oil Fried Egg

Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 4 minutes
Course: Entree, Side Dish
Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean
Servings: 1
Author: Elena Paravantes
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat about 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a medium pan (about 9 inch diameter) over medium to high heat.
  • When olive oil is hot (after about 1-2 minutes), crack the egg in the pan and fry for about 2-3 minutes.
  • Once ends have browned, remove from pan.
  • Sprinkle with thick sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
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Photo by Elena Paravantes © All Rights Reserved

5 Comments

  1. We have been avoid butter lately. You tips for frying an egg in olive oil worked out perfectly – thank you!5 stars

  2. That’s the way I make my eggs, cooked in olive oil, except with hard yolk. My mother always cooked in olive oil and taught me the delicious results of an egg fried in OO. I also add a dash of EVOO to my HC eggs and top with lots of fresh ground pepper instead of using mayo or salt.

    1. Hi Elena, I have just come to your website after seeing your TED talk. I was originally trying to find the true definition of the Med diet and according to PUBMED, the definition seems to be based on the 1960’s Cretan diet. Then I accidently found your TED talk which also supported the research I had been reading. I was wondering however what your opinion is on heating olive oil beyond its smoke point? I am trying to find out how most things would have been cooked traditionally as cooking techniques are also important in health. We know that the Maillard reaction is negatively associated with health and wondered if Greek and Cretan food would have been traditionally cooked more often by boiling methods? I would be grateful for your thoughts. Best wishes, Keely.

      1. Thank you Keely! Traditional cooking methods included mostly stewing but there was also frying in many cases. However, just because you fry or saute in olive oil, does not mean you surpass the smoke point. It was mostly pan-frying not deep-frying . Also the smoke point of extra virgin olive oil-which is what was used -does not have such a low smoke point. Check out this article where I explain a bit more about the smoke point of olive oil. https://www.olivetomato.com/5-ways-you-are-using-olive-oil-wrong/

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