Smoked Salmon Avocado Toast with Fried Eggs and Kale Slaw
Serves 2 · Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 10 minutes · Total: 25 minutes
I know smoked salmon avocado toast is already brunch on its own, but I still want the fried eggs and the little pile of slaw. The salmon is salty, the avocado is creamy, and once the yolks break, the whole thing gets a little messy in the best way. The cold, sharp slaw is what keeps me from getting tired of it halfway through.
Use thick-cut sourdough if you can. I toast it darker than I think I need to so it can actually hold the avocado, salmon, and runny yolk. Oh! Make the slaw first. Ten minutes in the dressing makes it better. Ten minutes on the plate does not do the eggs any favors.
Ingredients
Kale slaw
- 2 cups bagged kale or cabbage slaw mix
- 2 tablespoons very thinly sliced red onion, if the mix does not include it
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons apple-cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Black pepper
Smoked salmon avocado toast
- 2 large, thick slices sourdough or multigrain bread
- 1 large ripe avocado
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- Black pepper
- 4 ounces cold-smoked salmon or lox
Fried eggs
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or neutral oil
- 4 large eggs
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Dress the slaw
Put the slaw mix and red onion in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, honey, Dijon, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss well.
- 2
Let the slaw sit
Leave the slaw at room temperature for 10 minutes while you make the rest of breakfast. Toss it once more before serving. The short rest softens the kale and cabbage without turning either one limp.
- 3
Toast the bread
Toast the bread until the surface is crisp and well browned but the middle still has some chew. Toast it a little more than you normally would. Avocado is not especially respectful of lightly toasted bread.
- 4
Mash the avocado
Scoop the avocado into a bowl. Add the lemon juice, salt, and black pepper, then mash it roughly with a fork. Leave a few pieces intact instead of taking it all the way to guacamole.
- 5
Build the toast
Spread the avocado generously over the hot toast. Fold the smoked salmon loosely over the top rather than pressing it flat. Divide the toast between two plates and add the slaw alongside it.
- 6
Fry the eggs
Heat the butter or oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Crack in the eggs and season them lightly with salt and black pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the whites are set and browned around the edges but the yolks are still soft. If the whites beside the yolks are taking too long, cover the pan for the last 20 to 30 seconds.
- 7
Serve
Add two fried eggs to each plate, either beside the toast or partly draped over it. Serve right away, before the yolks firm up and the toast starts absorbing the avocado.
What Makes the Biggest Difference
Use cold-smoked salmon, not hot-smoked salmon. Cold-smoked salmon gives you the thin, silky slices shown here. Hot-smoked salmon is firmer and flakes apart.
Slice the slaw vegetables finely if you are making the mix yourself. This is a forkful of salad beside breakfast, not a cabbage endurance test.
Salt the avocado before it goes on the bread. The salmon is salty, but unsalted avocado underneath it still tastes flat.
Dress the slaw first and fry the eggs last. The slaw benefits from sitting. The eggs absolutely do not.
Shortcuts and Substitutions
Slaw mix: Use a bag with shredded green cabbage, red cabbage, kale, and carrot. If yours is mostly plain cabbage, add a small handful of chopped kale.
Bread: A split bagel, English muffin, or seeded country bread all work. Whatever you use, toast it well.
Salmon: Lox or gravlax can be used the same way as cold-smoked salmon.
Eggs: Over-easy or over-medium eggs are fine. Scrambled eggs work too, although you lose the yolk running into the toast, which is part of the point.
Dressing: Use lemon juice for a brighter slaw or apple-cider vinegar for something a little sharper.
Make-Ahead Notes
Mix the dressing up to three days ahead and refrigerate it in a covered jar. Shake it again before using.
The vegetables can be sliced a day ahead. Keep them dry and refrigerated, then dress them shortly before breakfast.
Mash the avocado and fry the eggs right before serving. Neither one improves while it waits.
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