Trout Toast with Soft Scrambled Eggs

Ever wish you could master restaurant-style egg toasts? Well now you can with this salty, smoky, creamy combo. Crème fraîche is the secret ingredient for a custardy scramble, and high-quality smoked fish and good bread are worth the splurge they make all the difference here.

Recipe information

• Yield4 servings

Ingredients

8 large eggs

3/4 tsp. kosher salt, plus more

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided

4 (1″-thick) slices sourdough or country-style bread

3 Tbsp. crème fraîche or sour cream

1 skin-on, boneless smoked trout fillet (about 5 oz.), skin removed, flesh broken into 1″ pieces

1 lemon, halved

Freshly ground black pepper

2 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal

2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped dill

4 oz. mature arugula, tough stems trimmed (about 4 cups)

2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

Step 1

Crack eggs into a medium bowl and add 3/4 tsp. salt. Whisk until no streaks remain.

Step 2

Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium. As soon as foaming subsides, add 2 slices of bread and cook until golden brown underneath, about 3 minutes. Transfer to plates, cooked side up. Repeat with another 2 Tbsp. butter and remaining 2 slices of bread. Season toast with salt. Wipe out skillet and let it cool 3 minutes.

Step 3

Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in reserved skillet over medium-low. Once butter is foaming, cook egg mixture, stirring with a heatproof rubber spatula in broad sweeping motions, until some curds begin to form but eggs are still runny, about 2 minutes. Stir in crème fraîche and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggs are barely set, about 1 minute.

Step 4

Spoon eggs over toast and top with trout. Finely grate lemon zest from one of the lemon halves over trout, then squeeze juice over toast. Season with pepper; scatter scallions and dill on top.

Step 5

Squeeze juice from remaining lemon half into a medium bowl. Add arugula and drizzle with oil; season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Mound alongside toasts.